


Shapeshifter

by Sunflower_Nation



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: All about the AUs, Alt universe names, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Cute bumbling awkwardness, Danvers Sisters, F/M, Fantasy AU, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Human!Mon-El, KaraMel, Lemon Siblings, Minor Injuries, Minor slight angst, Shapeshifter!Kara, Small appearances of other SG characters, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Wolf!Kara, Woods Cabin, fluff and banter, just for fun really, lake house, rating will change in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-02-18 11:03:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 76,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13098750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunflower_Nation/pseuds/Sunflower_Nation
Summary: Every night when the sun goes down, Kara takes on the form she cannot control. Unable to be rid of this 'curse', she lives mostly alone and is always out of sight before sunset. Things start to get complicated when she meets a charming young man by the name of Mon-El. Feeling a connection she has long been starved of, they start seeing each other regularly – in the day time, of course.Mon-El begins to have strange encounters with a beautiful white wolf.





	1. The Post Office.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all. New AU! I'm working on 8 of them lol and Lion was getting a bit intense and distressing so I picked the most fun/ridiculous one for ya'll to be introduced to. Promise the TLATR prt 1 will be finished soon. Sorry its taking ages. Please accept this as my apology lol. Love yall. 
> 
> As always, thanks to my #superbeta @maybetomorrow. She's the best. 
> 
> Stay sweet my Karamels x
> 
> \--

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

It had been a nice quiet day again, which really, it always was. Days like today gave Kara plenty of time to just read her book with her cup of earl grey. It was a simple life, but she didn’t really mind it. She had Alex, she had her hiking trips on the weekends, and she had her camera – that’s all she really needed. 

Kara never really thought about leaving her little hideaway in the middle of no where. Linden Valley was a small town (understatement of the year), so she was used to her comfortable bubble, and probably didn’t even realize how small her world really was. In theory, she knew there was a big, scary, _fascinating_ world out there somewhere. But for now, she had no desire to explore it. She _couldn’t_ , even if she wanted to. So she just accepted that this was her life, and didn’t let herself have any desires to leave the safety of home.

Still, she did explore that seemingly distant world – some of it, at least – in her books when it was a slow day at work (hah, every day. The local library would probably run out of books for her to read at this rate…) But the places in her books seemed unreal! That there could be huge cities bustling with a hive of activity, and subway trains packed so full that people were literally squished up against one another. That eight-laned highways existed. SIXTEEN-laned highways? PFFF! Even rush-hour itself was a strange concept! People got stuck in traffic?! Ludicrous! 

Kara enjoyed having the freedom to just be, spending most of her time out in nature and exploring the wilderness. It was what she was used to, and would probably be a slow and boring life to some — almost like being on permanent holiday. But she had time. She always had time. 

To be creative or contemplative, whether reading stories or admiring the wonders around her to her heart's content, Kara secretly loved being away from the world. It was relaxed and beautiful. At least, that’s what she told herself whenever she found herself craving something… more. 

Around noon, the bell over the door chimed as someone entered the post office. Kara looked up briefly to the door, before returning to the line she was reading, wanting to finish before whoever had just walked in made it to the counter. Dragging her feet down off her other chair, Kara swiftly marked her page and set the book aside, standing to look up politely at the customer in front of her. 

Oh, gosh. He was _cute_. 

“You’re new here,” Kara blurted out, before she realized she hadn’t even greeted him properly. “–I mean. I haven’t seen you around before, that’s all. How can I help?” 

Ugh. That could have gone better. Kara inwardly rolled her eyes at herself and cringed as the (very good-looking) male just chuckled. “Ahh… yeah. I’m on sabbatical. Just taking a break from everything, you know?”

Well, actually, she didn’t – not really. She was always on break from everything. That was the point. She’d basically run away from her hometown at whatever stupid age she was back then. Anyway. “Ah. Yeah... Yeah I get that.” Kara eyed him curiously, wondering if he was from the kind of unreal places she’d just been reading about. "You work in a big city or something?” 

“Yep. Just wanted to send this over to my office.” He plopped a parcel on the counter, which was neatly packed and had flawless handwriting on the top. She read the address, noting that he worked at _Daxam Media United_ in a place called National City. 

“Don’t people usually, you know... _not work…_ when they are on holiday?” Kara reached over for a postage sticker to pop on the corner of the box, quickly checking his requirements first. “Oh… you want it tracked, right?”

“Please,” he nodded. "And yeah, I just got here. Few things I needed to finish up and send is all. I’ll put my feet up when I get back.” He just shrugged, making this weirdly adorable face that was somewhere between cocky and gentle. 

“When you get back?”

“To my lake house, I mean. I stay here sometimes. Just to relax for a little while.” He smiled again, polite and charming. “What do you do?” His charm was lost the moment he realized he’d asked the most stupid question on the planet, his eyes showing he'd caught his idiotic question. It was obvious what she did – that THIS was her job. “–I mean. When you’re not working. What do you do when you not uuhhh, at the post office?” 

Kara bit her lip at his stumble – not the most elegant save ever on his part, but she tried not to laugh at him, watching his brows pull together in a cute frown. She merely shrugged. “This hardly counts as work.” Kara gestured to the book on her chair behind the counter. “I read. Explore the forestry and around the different lakes. I go hiking lots... that kind of thing.” The scanner beeped as she processed his parcel, slowing down her movements so that maybe this conversation would last a little longer. He was new. And nice. And well, cute! Cute guys didn’t exactly stop by often, let alone take a sabbatical in her little town.

“Do you go kayaking? Or hunting?” He questioned. "I’m trying to think of how I can possibly use up my time while I’m here. It's… hard to slow down. I’m used to working non-stop all of the time.” 

Kara's jaw tensed, but she couldn’t help it. “I don’t hunt, no. My sister does sometimes, but I don’t like it.” She’d gone off at her sister for being such a great shot and occasionally going hunting with friends. Even if it was to protect them or whatever, the idea of shooting a beautiful animal was disgusting. She didn’t like getting in the way of nature, she supposed. “–But kayaking is okay... the Alura Lakes are beautiful.” Kara pushed her reading glasses up her nose, preferring to change the subject. His expression lit up at the mention of the series of lakes further north, just a short drive from here, with a smile that made her heart flip. She wanted to talk to him more, she discovered. See what other mysteries laid beneath that mischievous grin of his. There was something about him. It made her… curious.

But his… his parcel was done… so… she didn’t really have anything else she could do except let him go on his way. “That’s uhm. $12.50.” Kara pushed her reading glasses up again. Even though she had just done it like two seconds ago. Ugh. He was gorgeous and it was making her nervous. 

“Right. Sure.” The cute guy pulled his card out and paid, lingering a moment longer. “I didn’t catch your name?” He looked up, a little bit… hopeful? Gods, his eyes! They were stunning. Kind. And a shade similar to the Alura Lakes in winter – azure grey with little glimmers of blue. 

Shit, she was losing it.

“Uhm. Uhm. Kara. You?” FOR FUCKS SAKE. She couldn’t even say her Rao-damn name. To be fair, she was out of practice. She knew EVERYONE in this stupid little place. And there was no one worth gawking over. She had forgotten how to socialize and she’d kick herself for it later but–

“Mon-El.”

“Mon-El?” That was a strange name. 

“Yeah. I know, I know. It’s foreign. Whatever.” He rolled his eyes and Kara suddenly felt sorry for him.

“Sorry. You must get that a lot.” She mumbled.

“It’s okay. It was lovely to meet you, Kara.”

“Likewise.” She managed a small grin, her eyes lingering on him when he turned and walked out, leaving a small ding in his wake as he passed through the door. 

 

*

 

 _Kara_. Her name was Kara. 

And she worked at the post office. Did she work there every day? He was usually better at chatting with girls. That could have gone a LOT better, but she was gorgeous. Like. INSANELY beautiful. He couldn’t really think things through when he was busy trying to keep his jaw up, instead of going slack at the sight of her flipping her hair over her shoulder. She probably didn’t even notice she’d done it. And that thing… that thing she did with her glasses was possibly one of the cutest gestures he’d ever come across. It was… distracting. _She_ was distracting. So, really it wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t come up with anything other than lame small talk. 

Mon-El continued to think about her on his drive back to his lake house. He’d noticed the way she’d flinched when he mentioned hunting. Oh. Was she… maybe she was a vegetarian? He’d have to somehow figure that out in case he asked Kara to dinner or whatever. Not that he would do that. He’d JUST met her. He couldn’t be that forward, even if he was on holiday. It wasn’t like he was looking for a fling or relationship or anything of the sort right now, and to be honest he was suppose to be getting AWAY from all that. Escaping his workaholic life and somewhat bad breakup. Somewhat, because he didn’t even mind. But bad, because, he felt incredibly guilty. It was his fault. He worked too much. Always working, never any time to really… invest in a relationship. 

Maybe he would have made more time if he’d actually wanted it. But… in the end, there just wasn’t enough there. He was trying to fit too much into his life and never really connected with his ex on a deeper level, because he just didn’t have the capacity or energy for her intense and serious demeanour. In the end, he just wanted to escape all that. The guilt. His bad habits. The accusations. He knew it was bad that he’d never made enough time for her, but still managed to meet new people all the time and spend evenings or lunches with his workmates. He liked people. Found them interesting. Fun. Spontaneous. But his ex-girlfriend was her own type of workaholic – perfectionistic and high strung. It was just added stress to try keep her happy on top of everything else. He could see now how it didn’t work out. He could never flipping relax around her. Ugh, why was he thinking about he ex? 

But that’s why he was here, instead of at home. He needed to take a break from everything... find himself or whatever. Now, he had all the time in the world. Too much of it, in fact – eight weeks was a LONG time. Maybe that’s why he was 1... freaking out that there was no way he wouldn’t go stir crazy at the idea of spending so much time off (which he KNEW he needed), and 2... he was used to being surrounded by people. All of the time. So many people and conversations and a buzzing office. It was strange to think he would be spending all this time _alone_. He planned to only stay a few weeks at his lake house. Just enough time to refresh, and then he would probably pop back home to National City and find something to do... that wasn’t work, of course. He wasn’t allowed to work while on leave. 

He could last that long, right? He could just spend a few weeks here, and then boost back to the comforting buzz and lights and sound of home. Have a few beers with Winn, hang out with Lena. Maybe take up a new hobby? Ugh, he was thinking too much again. 

He was supposed to slow down. Do relaxing things. Notice more. Be _present_. Not be thinking at a million miles a minute and ignoring the scenery. It was a stunning drive, and he’d missed half of it while spending all his time in his stupid brain!

Mon-El forced himself to shut off his thoughts as he turned down a long road, entirely lined with trees, encasing the road in a tunnel like setting. Dappled sunlight struck across the tar, and he had forgotten just how beautiful it was out here. It was early spring… and would be turning to summer soon enough. He’d forgotten how much he used to enjoy this. It was hard to enjoy now that he had so many responsibilities – he found himself twitching and unable to relax. Mon-El always felt the need to DO something. That was a part of the reason he avoided coming here – because he knew it was such a beautiful place to be cherished and enjoyed… and yet... he could never really be present. He always found himself trying so hard to just stop, slow down, take a break. But it never took him long to get restless and feel like he was having mega withdrawals from the busy lifestyle he was used to. After a short while, he would get all bitchy and just want go home. 

He’d try harder this time. To notice the way the leaves were so _green_ here. How the lake was so clear and blue like the girl's eyes at the…

Fuck. He was thinking about her again. He couldn’t help but notice her eyes. Okay, they were like the Alura Lakes she’d mentioned – stunning. He hadn’t planned on bumping into a beautiful girl with golden hair, while apparently, stumbling over all his words. But he was a people person. He liked people. Getting to know them. Figuring them out and talking for hours. Of course he would connect with someone before he’d barely finished unpacking. The thought of spending time away suddenly seemed daunting. There weren't a lot of people in Linden Valley, even fewer than he remembered. Maybe this was a bad idea – it had been far too long since he’d been out of National City and he was already getting restless. They had a bar here, right? He could meet a few new people and have a some nice drinks. Get chatting. That counted as relaxing, right?

Fuck. He'd missed his turn off. Idiot. Was it really so hard to just switch off? Take a break?

Mon-El groaned. Taking leave wasn’t meant to be this difficult. 

 

*

 

Kara arrived home just in the nick of time – she could still have dinner and maybe even take a shower if she was quick enough. It was stupid, but she’d gotten distracted thinking about that gorgeous guy… what was his name? M… Mon-El! And she’d forgotten to keep an eye on the time when she’d gone for a wander after work. Luckily, she’d rushed home before dark. Not that it really counted as rushing – it wasn’t that far to get anywhere in a town this small. She could have just left her car at the reserve and walked home (well ran, the benefits of four legs, she supposed). Still. It would have sucked if she’d been caught out again and had to wake Alex up early to drive her to work in the morning. (…The downside to only having two legs during the day. Screw walking). Alex would have given her an earful, as she’d been a bit snappy lately with the double shifts and working nights. Lack of sleep didn’t really agree with Alex. She wasn’t the most pleasant sister in the world if Kara woke her up too early.

Alex worked down at the local bar, and had been spending a lot more time there the last few months. Kara had a sneaking suspicion it had more to do with getting to see a certain sheriff and her team when they got off work. Maggie Sawyer, her name was. Fierce looking gal, no bullshit. And in Kara’s opinion, a little scary. Still, Alex had a thing for the dark leather jacket and the banter they shared, so that was cool. At least Alex had her eye on someone. Had someone to spend time with. At least she could GO OUT at night time and enjoy some company. Ugh.

Not that she wanted that. She didn’t need someone else to make her happy. She was doing just fine and liked being alone all the time.

Kara groaned. That was bullshit and she knew it, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t ask to have dinner with Mon-El even if she’d wanted to. Plus, that would be way too forward. They’d only just met! But she couldn’t help but wonder after him. The way he scratched the side of his cheek and dragged his fingers along the stubble on his jawline. He probably didn’t even notice he was doing it! Dammit, why did he have to be so Rao-damn beautiful. Their conversation was too short for her liking, and maybe it was just because eligible males didn’t stop by very often. Okay, it was definitely that. Had nothing to do with his charming smile and chestnut hair. Nu-uh. Nothing to do with it. 

Fuck. She was getting far to distracted. He was just an all-round distracting guy, and now she definitely didn’t have time for a shower. Idiot! And Alex would be pissed that she didn't leave herself enough time to do the dishes after consuming copious amounts of leftover lasagne either – but she could do them in the morning. Whatever. She helped herself to a large bowl and then thought better of it, discarding the bowl and just dragging the entire dish to the couch with her fork. At least she’d left herself enough time to eat something with actual utensils.

After eating her fill, Kara dashed outside quickly, just to make sure they’d have enough wood from out back before her change would happen. It was still a little too cold to sleep outside, even though it was spring. The snow on the mountains was melting, and while the days were okay, the nights were still a little bitter for her taste. She made sure to fetch enough kindling to start a nice, toasty little fire to sleep by, before she felt the familiar pains in her lower legs. 

Brilliant. Well, at least when summer finally arrived the days would be a lot longer, and she wouldn’t get so fucking bored in the evenings. Maybe she could go for a wander tonight, but then again, it was nice and cosy inside. Perhaps another night. 

 

*

 

Alex stumbled home after her shift and was relieved to see a familiar sight curled up on the couch. At least Kara hadn’t gone on one of her night time wanders. Maggie had told her there had been a couple out hiking that were attacked by a bear, which of course, made her worry about her sister. Kara spent a lot of time wandering out and about who-knows-where, either with her camera during the day, or without it if she was going out at night. It was nice to have her home safe. She sighed as she removed the brick that kept the door open, and shut it to actually keep the heat in. It didn’t look like her sister was going anywhere tonight, so she supposed it was fine to keep it closed.

Alex cracked a small smile when she remembered the time Kara had thrown that exact brick at her head – missing, of course – but apparently, suggesting a doggie door (both a hilarious AND practical suggestion) was too offensive a joke for her baby sis. She just chuckled quietly to herself as she hung her coat up.

Not wanting to turn a light on, Alex followed the low, flickering orange into the lounge to put a log on the fire for the rest of the night. She stood by it for a short time, just to enjoy it — it was a mesmerising and soothing kind of warmth. She could see why her sister felt asleep in front of it so often. 

It always surprised her that Kara’s other form had become something she’d actually gotten used to – just curled up on the couch with her favourite red blanket. She rolled her eyes at the white fur that was getting flipping everywhere, now that winter was over. Sure, it was still cold as heck at night time, but Kara’s winter coat had started to leave itself all over the furniture. And apparently, she’d finished the lasagne. The little brat. 

Alex sighed and decided it was finally time to go to bed, pulling herself away from the firelight. She couldn’t help but give Kara’s cute little ear a tug as she passed by, knowing her sister slept like the dead. It would be such a weird gesture usually, but when Kara was like this… well… she was soft and fluffy and fucking adorable. 

“Night baby sis.”

Alex crept up the stairs to her room and pulled her boots off. It was a weird life. But she’d do anything for Kara. It had freaked her out at first. Of course it did, why wouldn’t it? But it had been years now, and they had their nice little life and routine out away from the rest of the world. Things weren’t so bad. 

Her sister was only a shapeshifter. No biggie. Right?

 

**


	2. In the low light of morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry this took so long to update (I hate it when that happens). I'll try get this out more regularly for you but I am working a hell of a lot. Apologies. I don't have a beta for this story so you might notice it isn't as refined or correct or whatever as Lion. I just don't want to spend too much time on it since this one is just a fun piece. I hope it's still okay. (If the writing does get too poor, just let me know in the comments and I'll get my beta to start checking my work for this one. For the sake of time I'm trying to do this fic without one. Lion Prt 2 is our priority xo)
> 
> Peace
> 
> -

 

 

* * *

 

 

  
Kara picked up her clothing with her teeth gently and jumped off the couch, only to notice Alex had closed the front door after coming home last night. It was still fairly early, nearing dawn, but she’d had enough of sleeping. In winter time, she spent a great deal of time snuggled up by the fire and refused to leave the house so early, but now that it was spring there was less of that, and until the longer days and extra sunlight hours that came with summer, well… she would probably be a touch bored if she didn’t give herself something to do. Her morning runs had become a welcome routine that kept her fit and busy, with the added benefit of never having to go to the gym basically ever.

She also had to admit she was a little curious about Mon-El’s lake house. She’d been thinking about him most of the evening (and possibly night), wondering where exactly he would be staying for his time off work. If she was a normal person, she probably would have just asked him, you know, got his number or something, or waited to hopefully bump into him sometime (since the town was definitely small enough for that.) Buuuuttt... Kara wasn’t exactly normal. Annnnd, it wasn’t like she had anything to do this early in the morning. It was still a fair way off sunrise, so what the hell. She often went for a run around the lake anyway, so it wasn’t like she would _actually_ be stalking Mon-El or anything. She would just go on her usual trek, get some early morning exercise, and if she just so happened to come across a certain rural property and identify it as Mon-El's his lake house… well… that would just be pure coincidence. Plus, there were technically a lot of lakes in Linden Valley, so it wasn’t like she knew for certain his place was anywhere near here. Kara and Alex lived next to the Celestine Lake, and it was only a short walk down a dirt path from their tiny home to the water's edge. But there was another lake a short drive away, (called Linden lake, funnily enough, at the base of Linden Valley) and the Alura lakes were further up north.

Kara contemplated waking Alex, since technically it was her fault she was locked in – shutting the front door while she was asleep didn’t happen that often, since it was the middle of nowhere they could just leave it open, but she guessed it must have been cold enough to decide against that. Fair enough.

She imagined her sister’s snappy morning moods and decided against waking Alex – she could just use the ranch slider out back, which as frustrating and annoying as the stupid thing was to open, she could make do when she had to. It seemed like a better option than jumping on Alex before 6 am.

Creeping slowly across the carpet to the wooden floors, Kara was careful not to bump into things so early in the morning. She made her way out back, and it took a few tries, but after jumping at the stupid lock thingy that was sticking up near the handle, Kara finally got it to flick down. She was then was able to shove the door open enough with her nose to squeeze through the gap, opening it even more with her body. Perfect.

Making her way to her usual spot under the tree, Kara trotted over and left her clothes out for later, settled in her hammock before she took off down towards the lake. It was still mostly dark, cold and bitter. But fresh. She was definitely ready for a run.

 

*

 

  
Mon-El did not have issues sleeping. Not usually. Not when he had so much work to attend to on a regular basis, that it made sleeping an infrequent and delightful luxury. Every single moment he could afford to spend in bed was well used, because sleeping? Well, sleeping was great. So of course, the moment he had all the time in the _world_ to sleep, his body betrayed him. He tried camomile tea, reading a book, and counting sheep. Nothing worked. Instead, Mon-El just grew more restless and grumpy the longer and more difficult it was to fall into dreamland. Now that it was nearly morning, he had given up entirely, and figured he could blame it on the change of timezones or routine, or having just a touch too much caffeine the previous day. Truth was, it felt so much _different_ out here, that it was hard to settle in. Apparently, relaxing wasn’t just something that came naturally to the overly-social workaholic. Maybe this was a bad choice. It wasn’t that he hated it out here or anything. It was beautiful. Quiet and scenic and the air seemed more fresh than anywhere else in the world. It was just… it was different. Isolated.

He sat with his cell phone in his lap trying to listen to music as a distraction, and maybe give him something to take his thoughts away from the fitful discomfort jumping under his muscles. But he didn’t like having so much time with nothing planned, nor did he have much luck drifting off. It was literally DAY ONE of his holiday, and he could spend it however he liked. And yet, his mind just wanted to work. Keep busy. Stay in routine. Ugh. He turned over on his pillow and looked out the window towards the lake, groaning. Great. The sun was starting to come up. It was still basically dark, but the telltale signs of black seeping into dark navy blue told him that it would be daylight soon enough. And he’d not even got a wink.

At least there was one thing on his mind he didn’t mind thinking about... The girl at the post office. He wondered how she could possibly stand to live in a place like this, so breathtaking and yet so boring all at once. He wanted to enjoy the simplicity. He really did. To be able to revel the quiet and read a book and just… mull about. Appreciate the things and people around him more. It would be nice to be more connected to his surroundings or whatever, and actually have a life beyond deadlines and copywriting. But that wasn’t really him.

Mon-El found himself fascinated by Kara. She was puzzling to him. There wasn’t an ounce of stress to her, like she was surrounded by this blissful ease. Except for when she was stumbling over her words – which he found utterly adorable – her movements were placid and gentle. She seemed so peaceful. Calm... taking her time… 'hiking and exploring the forestry around'. Is that really all she did with her time? Just enjoyed being out in nature and being present in the moment? It was kind of beautiful.

Then again, maybe he was just thinking about her because she was so darn gorgeous.

 

*

 

Kara rocketed across the dirt, agile as she bolted through the underbrush, faster than she could ever run as a human. The low blue light was just enough for her keen senses and sharp vision to see perfectly clear, a slight glimmer dancing across dark leaves to light her path. Kara's thick coat was warm and protective against the cold morning bite, and sometimes she felt more herself this way than she did in the daylight. She was lightning quick, dashing out of the trees and up a layer of rock at the edges of the lake, leaping over gaps and stretching her muscles as her body woke from its slumber, feeling herself grow more powerful with each stride.

It was easy to lose track of time like this, small layers of silver light reflecting up off the stone while she zipped her way around large boulders, and sometimes in the shallows of the lake. It always smelled so earthy and crisp, with no one to disturb her while her breathing became more rapid. Sometimes shifting into a wolf wasn’t _so_ bad.

Taking off up a large angled rock, Kara climbed higher and jumped clear of a large fallen tree. It was nice to stretch her legs with no one else around – it gave her a large sense of relief that she could really be herself, without worrying that anyone would see her or ever be able to catch more than a glimpse as she sprinted near the edges of the lake. The landscape curved upwards even more, becoming more difficult to climb, but with such stellar eyesight in this form Kara could rapidly pick the best places to put her feet long before they made contact with the difficult terrain.

Energy shivered through her muscles when she finally stopped to catch her breath, shaking her coat out a little to disperse any lingering water droplets she had picked up along the way. The ground and shrubs were often stuck with dew, but it felt fresh. Kind of nice, in a strange way. Kara’s heartbeat and breathing started to slow, though there was still a fine mist where her warm breath was condensing in the morning cold. Her feet were slightly wet, but she barely noticed as she looked down over the still water, piercing her vision through the trees to look for houses. Well, just one; A lake house that would suit a city-slicker. Instead of finding anything worth investigating, all Kara could really make out was dark forms of trees and nature. Not that she was disappointed or anything. She was just out her for a run. She wasn’t expecting to stalk the new cute guy from the post office.

It's just... she found him fascinating. That he was so nicely dressed and said he was from a big city. How could he live like that? Surrounded by so many people all the time? It must be pretty nice to have a proper job and big opportunities. It was puzzling to Kara – a fast-paced life wasn’t something she ever thought she could handle. But reading about it, imagining it… it was just so _different_. It made that guy in the post office… well, interesting.

Then again, maybe she was just thinking about him because he was so darn gorgeous.

 

*

 

Mon-El nursed a coffee out on his deck, listening to the rather disturbing choir of birds that already seemed to be awake at this hellish hour. To be honest, he preferred the soothing buzz of traffic and ambient background noise of people chatting on phones or to each other. Maybe he was just struggled to appreciate the natural surroundings because he’d been awake basically all night. Stupid. Sabbatical. Thingy.

Whatever, he could sleep at any time during the day if he felt like it, since he no longer had a schedule. So what did it matter? He took another large sip of his coffee – dark and bitter on his tongue. At least the flavour was familiar to him – soothing. It was one thing for him to hold onto, a fantastic brew from National City's finest. Why was he even doing this again? It was supposed to be good for him. That’s what everyone said. Take a break. Ditch the screens. Reconnect with himself and all that bullshit. Ugh.

What about… if he made it just one week, he started to negotiate with himself. He could survive a week. And if he made it through that, maybe he could make it two. But he wouldn’t force it. It would be _fine_. He had left his work laptop at home so he couldn’t work even if he wanted to, unless he did so on his phone, which was hopelessly slow and useless to type on. That made it easier to avoid any temptation – he hated to type on his phone. He would forgo work, just for a small break and see how it went. For just a week. That’s all he would make himself deal with for now. It couldn't be _that_ hard. 

Mon-El returned to his coffee, feeling slightly better about his predicament. Nearing the bottom of his mug, Mon-El swirled the last bit of coffee around and stared into it as the sun continued to come up. The low blue light had started to slowly increase, until he was able to see a bit of the lake through the trees. His lake house was hidden away from the water a bit, so he didn’t have the most epic of views, but it was interesting watching the colours start to bounce off the water through the gaps in the trees. Darkness started to melt into light. Maybe this was what it was all about...

Mehh. Whatever. After literally 5 seconds, he lost interest, and decided on something a little more active to make him tired. If he got up and did something, that would make him want to sleep, right? He would be even more grumpy if he didn’t at least have a nap of some sort today, so he was ready to try anything. Maybe he could start to read one of the 11 books he was meant to start like… _last year_. He probably shouldn’t have had a coffee if his plan wasn’t to start his day at a ridiculously early time, but he liked the taste and familiarity, so it was too late now. He could go back to bed later on.

Contemplating his best option, Mon-El decided to collect up some firewood. Since he’d only just arrived, collecting up something for the cold nights would be well warranted, and that way he would be all organised for his stay, and wouldn’t have to bother with cutting any more up or anything, just have a good collection inside next to the fireplace. Plus, it could double as a light workout. Rolling his eyes, he set his cup down on the deck and got up out of his chair, wandering down the steps towards the small shed beside the house.

 

*

  
Kara felt much more coordinated and athletic in the mornings than any other time of day. Perhaps four legs suited her better than two. She had slowed to a jog, knowing the main track well and that it was still a fair distance to home. She would pick up the pace if she needed to, since the light was already easing its way into existence. But the sun wouldn’t peak over the horizon for about another 20 minutes. She didn’t really think anything of it since she had made it back in under five once before. (At full sprint, though, just to see how fast she could really run…) It was nice to just get some morning exercise, almost like a normal person. Sans human form, that was.

She loped around a small bend, skidding to a halt when she suddenly smelled… coffee? That was new. Maybe someone was camping near the lake and was having a morning cup. It smelled _amazing_. What she wouldn’t give for a decent coffee. But there was something else, with just a hint of cinnamon. Actually, it seemed kind of familiar. Random hints of mint and wood stain. Weird combination, but that’s the best way she could describe it to herself.

OH. _Ohhhhh._ Kara’s heart rate spiked when she realised the impossible – she recognised that scent. Maybe she hadn’t noticed at the time, but she had definitely come across something similar the previous day.

And now she knew why. Mon-El a.k.a. Cute guy from the post office with a weird name a.k.a the person she had been thinking about way too much since meeting him, was only a short distance away. He was skimming rocks across the water, mumbling unintelligible things to himself. Something about “insomnia" and "cursed stupid leave…”

So his house WAS on the same lake as hers! Unless… he was out for a morning walk too? She couldn’t see his lake house, at least not yet. She trotted closer, before deciding to use the tree line so she could get a better look without him noticing. (Great, so now she was a stalker. Not weird at all. Just a dog and a stalker. Awesome.)

Kara continued to creep up on Mon-El, before she finally spotted his house, a quaint sort of cabin with a deck and single chair outside, hidden among there trees. And there was his coffee. She couldn’t believe she could actually see his coffee mug and smell it from so far away – it was never something she got used to, the heightened senses thing that came and went each day. She didn’t dislike the random ‘superpowers’ she got when she shifted, they were just a little weird was all.

Returning her attention to the cute guy down at the lake, Kara saw a way to get past him and then return to the main track without being noticed so that she could follow the lake home. She didn’t really want to turn back and have to run all the way around again, not when it was already getting so light out. She trotted easily past, nice and quiet, and maybe (totally) checked out his arse since he was facing the water, too. Perks of good eyesight. Damn, he was good-looking. Seriously? Why he have to come here looking like that. Couldn’t some other random have decided to have a holiday here? The universe was just laughing at her, reminding her that she was cursed and missing out.

Her ears perked up as she noticed he sounded kind of upset, tossing around phrases like ‘just suck it up and get over it’ and 'always seems better in theory.’ His tone was bitter and annoyed. Maybe he had some shit going on and that’s why he was taking a break out in the middle of nowhere. She wished she could just go up and talk to him, make sure he was okay… Still. She needed to get home. And stop being a stalker. She wasn’t meant to be eavesdropping.

Kara was watching him so intently as she walked, she hadn’t even realized she’d maybe gotten a bit too close, nor did she notice she’d stepped on a branch until it made a loud crack under her feet and startled Mon-El. He spun around, his eyes blowing wide when he noticed her in the low light. _Great._

He jumped back a little and raised his hands, completely at odds with what to do. “Fuck.”

Kara just stopped dead still, watching him cringe and look around for an escape route. He actually looked kinda terrified. Surely she didn’t look that threatening.

"Please don’t eat me…”

She would have laughed if she could. He had no idea she wasn’t going to eat him, and had no interest in foods that weren’t either covered in cheese or chocolate sauce.

Well, at least he didn’t know it was her. She was just a lone wolf in the middle of a forestry reserve. Not exactly how she imagined bumping into Mon-El again, but she’d take what she could get. Deciding that she had been made, she took a few steps towards him, seeing how he would react.

“Uhhh, Shit.” Mon-El took a few steps back until his feet were in the water, and Kara wanted to laugh. He was fucking adorable, and now had soaking wet shoes. “Shit shit shit…” He continued to look around, as if something could protect him. Maybe she could convince him to have a little swim! She wanted to giggle. This was fun! She growled, bowing her head low just to see if he would stumble back into the water a bit more.

“EEK!!” Mon-El squeaked like a girl and jumped at the sound, closing his eyes and tensing up. Her laugh came out more like a chortling sound, just making him even more terrified that he was in the general vicinity of a wolf. She wondered why she’d never tried this prank before, considering it was utterly hilarious. A few more seconds of teasing and she let him go, dashing off out of sight as she ran home. It was getting too light anyway. Better to be alone when the sun came fully up.

 

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -
> 
> So how are we liking this story? Is it okay? I know it's a bit weird. I feel insecure as shit without having my beta check it and give me feedback first... happy cringe face. 
> 
> xo


	3. Excuses.

Mon-El was shivering by the time he stumbled back inside. There was a large chance he was so stunned by nearly being eaten alive, that he’d stayed unmoving with water around his ankles long after that _wolf_  had taken off into the trees. To be honest, the whole ordeal was probably just a figment of his sleep-deprived imagination. He’d never in his life seen an animal so _beautiful_ and so terrifying all at once, like, ever. Thick white coat... Deep blue eyes... It was _unreal_. Maybe he had finally fallen asleep and was dreaming. Mon-El hadn’t seen an actual wild animal since he was a kid, let alone one so striking. Maybe when he was younger and spent summers here with Lena, they’d probably encountered a few wild animals here and there, but nothing very exciting. No one from their dysfunctional family really came out here anymore, so he’d forgotten the woods were filled with things that could eat him or rip his limbs off. Maybe this trip wouldn’t be so boring after all.

  
*

 

Kara was panting by the time she got back, and decided to take a quick dip in the lake to cool off. Leaping in shoulder deep, she found that the water was still absolutely _freezing_ , and jumped out almost immediately. Her toes tingled for a few seconds as she made her way up the path towards the back porch of her home, feeling her shift starting. Kara knew the moment the sun had risen by the seamless change that overtook her body, rippling through her muscles in barely a blink. They continued to tingle for a few moments before they settled, and Kara walked the rest of the way to her favourite hammock on two feet before tugging an over-sized t-shirt over her head. She wrung out her hair a bit, letting it drip on the grass while she made her way up to the house. She needed a shower anyway before work, so it didn’t really bother her other than being a bit too cold.

Wandering inside, Kara decided on a hot cup of something to warm up and put the jug on to boil, before scraping the last of the coffee out of the tin and into the bottom of a mug. Instant coffee was shit, but it was all she and Alex could afford, so she had gotten used to the burnt cereal kind of taste. At least it had caffeine in it. She pulled out a plate and some bread to start making some toast for herself, humming quietly while she reached up to the top shelf for the peanut butter.

“You know, sometimes I’m a little jealous that you can do that. Some of us actually have to… you know, _exercise_ , to stay fit.” Alex wandered down the stairs with a yawn, clambering down into the kitchen to join her sister.

Kara was taken by surprise at her sister being awake so early, quickly removing her finger from the peanut butter jar and hiding the evidence by speedily licking it off before turning around. "I _was_ exercising,” Kara pointed out.

"Cheating. But valid, I guess.” Alex yawned again before running a hand through her hair.

“Only a little bit cheating…” Kara muttered. It was far easier to stay fit when she could run three times as far and three times as fast as she could while in human form. But it did still take effort. Just not as much as everyone else, she assumed. Her brow furrowed when she realized her sister was up with the rising of the sun. “You're up early.” She narrowed her eyes at Alex playfully. "What did you do with my sister, hmm?"

Alex chuckled. "Oh you know, just transferred my brain into her body while she was asleep."

“I knew it!” Kara laughed.

“Nah… I ahhh, got the day off. Since its Maggie's birthday. We are just taking off down South for the day. You know, find some real places to go shopping and all that shit."

Kara smiled knowingly, seeing as there was no one on Earth Alex would get out of bed for this early… except maybe a certain crush. “Well, I knew she didn't get those awesome leather jackets from anywhere around here. It will be nice for the two of you to hang out.”

“Yeah.” Alex started to look at her socks, rubbing them gently against the wooden floor. 

“What’s wrong?” Kara shoved a bowl in her sister’s general direction so that she could get some breakfast too, noticing that Alex wasn’t concentrating on what she was doing, but rather appeared to be thinking rather long and hard about something.

“Uhm. It’s just….”

“What is it?”

"We are... actually going out for uhm... dinner. Fancy place called Lion and Rose.” Alex looked up then, waiting for her sister’s reaction.

“Alex, I'm happy for you! That sounds great!” Kara was genuinely enthusiastic to hear that things were going well, and that at least one of them had some sort of social life.

“You don’t… think it’s weird?” Alex asked.

“Sis, I’m not blind.” She rolled her eyes.

“Huh?”

“You’ve had your eye on her for a while, Alex. It’s no biggie. If you want to go on a date with another woman, that’s not weird. I mean, you spend a fair bit of time together at the bar, don’t you? I think it’s great that you can go out and enjoy some quality time with her.”

“Oh.”

“Did you… think I’d not be okay with it?” She watched Alex play with her hands, not really sure of herself. It wasn’t really like Alex to lack confidence. She was the backbone of their miniature family of two. Her sister had practically raised her after they’d ditched the foster system. Always the strong self-assured one, it was strange to see Alex insecure. Her brow furrowed at that, watching her sister pick out a few words to string together.

“I dunno, K-bear. It’s just… new. I guess. I didn’t think… I dunno.” Alex shrugged again and continued to look around for reassurance.

Kara set the jar she was holding down to move closer and grip her sister’s shoulders lightly. “Alex. Look at me. I’m a shapeshifter. And you thought you being lesbian was going to weird me out…?” She made sure to show that she was truly genuine, though a glimmer of humour in her eyes shone through as well. There was no way she would ever judge her sister, and she honestly didn’t think it even mattered. Alex didn't really think the heart eyes would go unnoticed by her little sister, did she?

Alex chuckled in return. “Yeah, sorry, I guess you’re right.”

“You’re nervous about it…” Kara inferred.

“A bit. You know when you don’t know if you are going as friends or… _more?_ Like. It’s just the two of us. But I can’t really tell if it’s just a friendly… _platonic_ thing."

"Yeah. Right. Going to an expensive restaurant together, to Lion and Rose, of all places, is totally platonic.” She gave Alex a knowing look. “If it bothers you just ask. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Pffff. Rejection. Losing a friend. Making an idiot of myself?"

“Okay, but like, if someone can’t accept how you are, friend or more, are they really even your friend? If it’s not… like that, I’m sure she would just tell you graciously. Might be a bit awkward or whatever, but Alex, you don’t hide that sort of thing from the people you trust.”

“You’re a little bit inspirational this morning. Did you know that?”

“What are sisters for?” Kara poured some cereal into a bowl for her to make her point, since her sleep-deprived sibling wasn’t making any attempts to actually get herself breakfast. “Are you capable of getting yourself a spoon or…” She laughed as her sister rubbed her eyes.

“Huh?”

“Rao, you can’t even function in the mornings!”

“I’m still waking up!” She groaned. "Also. Get used to eating toast. It’s all we’ll be eating next week since today is going to be expensive as fuck…” She nodded at Kara’s plate, watching as the food hog of the household started to put a knife in the peanut butter.

"But that's why you've been taking double shifts.” Kara smiled and popped a spoon in Alex’s bowl, before returning her attention to her toast and started to munch. "Do you mind getting coffee while your out?"

“Seriously? I got the coffee last time. And the time before that. And bought you new shampoo!" Alex huffed.

"But… you're already going to be out, is all…” Kara spoke through a full mouth.

"Yeah but I don't want to be getting everything for us all the time, Kara. You have a job too, you know."

"I know. I... never mind." She shook her head.

Alex opened the fridge and poured the last of the milk on her cereal, finally becoming a functioning human. "We are also out of milk.” She set it down next to her bowl loudly, like she was making a point.

"Okay. I'll get some after work.” Kara frowned and kept eating her toast while she sat down, taking an occasional sip of her shitty coffee. There was comfortable silence for a few minutes while they ate around the kitchen counter on stools.

"How was your run?"

Kara stopped mid-chew, starting to grin at the change in subject. “I ah... actually bumped into someone this morning. A cute guy I met at the post office yesterday."

“Oh? Do tell.”

“He came in yesterday. Just to process a parcel. He was uhm… different.” She shrugged and polished off the rest of her food in two large bites.

“You mean, actually good looking for once.”

“Mmhhmm.” She nodded, weird sensations in her chest as she tried not to smile. "He’s on sabbatical. Not sure how long he is here. But he seems nice.”

“Well well well. Apparently I’m not the only one with my eye on someone.”

“We _just_ met, Alex. It’s not like going on a date with him!”

“How did you bump into him this morning again?” Alex pressed, very aware of her sister’s sudden change in mood. She was distracted. And smiley. Well, trying NOT to be smiley, which was a dead giveaway.

"He has a very distinct scent. Kinda wood stain and cinnamon and black coffee." Kara shrugged.

“Wow. You are so fucking weird.”

"Oh. Right. I mean… I was just out for a run. And maybe wanted to see where he lived?"

"Nope. Now you're a stalker. Still weird.”

"Sorry. I was just curious...”

“So he saw you… _you know_.”

“Yeah. I didn’t mean to. I tried to sneak past but..”

“But you’re not very sneaky”

“Hey, I can be sneaky!” She shoved her sister. “Omgosh, it was actually so funny! You should have seen him. I growled at him just to see how he would react and I think he nearly wet his pants!” She laughed at the memory and nearly spilt her drink that was sitting on the counter, completely surprised when Alex just snapped at her instead of laughing as well.

"Kara! You're not supposed to do that!”

"But it was funny. I wasn't going to hurt him or anything.” She whined. "He just didn't know that.” She grinned, trying to get a better reaction out of Alex.

“He could have hurt you. Can you just… not do that kind of thing? I don't want you getting shot. Plenty of people have shotguns around here. He's probably got one himself.”

“Fiiiine.” Kara rolled her eyes. Trust Alex to ruin the moment.

"Thank you. Also. I don’t know what time I’ll be back tonight. So stay out of trouble, yeah?”

“You’re no fun.”

“ _Kara_.”

“Alright! Alright. I’ll do something _boring_ like I always do.”

“Good. And do you mind doing the dishes?”

“That’s cool.”

 

*

 

Kara was pretty sure this ‘Eve Tessmacher’ person had an addiction to internet shopping. Sure, they lived in the middle of nowhere, and those lucky enough to have the internet in Linden Valley would just endlessly order everything in. It was far easier than a 3-hour drive to the nearest mall that was actually decent. Still, she laughed when the count got to seven. SEVEN parcels in one day. That was impressive. Kara saw Eve's name come up a LOT when sorting mail, rolling her eyes a little bit. To be fair, everyone did it. And plenty of things just got ordered in and shipped rather than travelling to buy stuff. There was only basically only ONE decent store in Linden Valley, which covered all the basics. Other than that, everything was either touristy orientated or outdoors related. Deliveries only came in on Mondays and Thursdays, so her sorting days were nice and busy. At least she didn’t feel mostly useless today. She continued sorting into two large piles that would be picked up around midday, one for the northern region, and one for the main town.

“My my, someone is going to be happy this morning.” Kara laughed. She shouldn’t have noticed, not really. It wasn’t like she was paying attention to the sender addresses or anything, but she noticed these things, okay? And well, it was hard not to notice a world-renowned brand known for beautiful and rather expensive lingerie. She might live under a rock, but even Kara knew who Victoria’s Secret was. She chuckled to herself as she moved to place it with the rest of Eve’s things for her address.

“Who’s going to be happy this morning?”

Kara was so busy tending to what she was doing, she hadn’t even heard the door chime as someone had come into the post office. She looked up and just about dropped the box she was holding. “Mon-El?” She only just made his name come out without stumbling. Not that she had been thinking of him all yesterday. Nor seen him this morning. Not at all. “Uhm. Hi?”

“ _Someone is going to be happy this morning?_ ” He repeated her words back to her and grinned smugly, having caught her talking to herself. She was still holding the box up in full view, and if she didn’t hide it, he would probably see the logo on the side of the box. Kara quickly hid it behind her back, not knowing what else to do.

“Nothing. What? Nothing.” That time, she did stutter, broken words that made absolutely no sense. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, wishing the ground would swallow her whole. Dammit! She wanted to make a good impression! How was she suppose to do that if she couldn’t even talk to him without the blood in her neck and cheeks betraying her efforts!

He just laughed – this glorious, light, airy laugh… and all she could do was stare. He raised his hands to signal surrender, still grinning at her – this furiously smug looking thing that was annoyingly attractive. “Alright. _Secret_ parcels for secret things. Suppose you had to make your job interesting somehow.” He shrugged.

Kara snorted, her mind finding his accidental pun funny. Secret. He had no idea. Gods she was a dork. An embarrassing, fumbling, dork! What was she even doing?! She inwardly rolled her eyes at herself, but her stupid smile remained.

“Something funny?” He asked.

“Yeah, kinda.” She grinned and turned her back to him. “Just a sec.” She called over her shoulder and made her way to put everything stacked and in order, out of sight before she returned to him. “So what is it today? Couldn’t stay away from work?”

“Uhhh. Well. I don’t have any work left…” He began. “So I wrote a letter. For someone.”

“You wrote a letter…?” she looked at him, wondering who in the world still actually sent letters instead of emails or an easy phone call.

“Yeah. I like… the personal touch. Is there something wrong with writing a letter?”

“No no. That’s fine. I mean. If you want to write a letter there's totally no reason why you shouldn't write a letter.”

He smirked, catching the way Kara was talking at light speeds.

“...Lena Luthor.” Kara’s heart dropped when she saw the name and said it aloud. Of course. He… he had someone back home. Of course he did! And of course he would write her a letter to be personal because it was more meaningful that way. He was gorgeous. Why in the world would he be single? Idiot.

“She’s my half-sister.”

“Your… your… huh?” He stomach had done a plummet and then a summersault all in less than three seconds, as she went from slightly hurt to elated with just one sentence.

“We share the same mother?” He repeated. She knew what a half sister was, right? He chuckled. Flip she was adorable. She had this crinkle in her brow for less than three seconds when she saw the name, and he saw the exact moment Kara lit up, processing that it wasn’t a partner or lover or something like that. At least, that’s what he hoped.

“Right. Your half-sister.”

They continued an awkward dance of small talk as Kara fetched a postage stamp and took the 50 cent coin from Mon-El, surprised that not only was he old school writing a letter, he was paying with coins.

“So… How’s your morning been so far?” Kara couldn’t help but ask. She was curious if he would bring up their little morning encounter, but also, she just wanted to talk to him. It was nice to talk to someone. Someone her age and interesting and charming. Truth be told, she wasn't very social. It was a pretty lonely life all the way out in Linden Valley.

Kara was surprised when he actually started to chat with her, just leaning on the wall and looking over the counter as he spoke. “To be honest, I didn’t get any sleep, so my morning has been pretty lazy. I’ll settle in eventually.” He shrugged. "Pulled all the cobwebs off my old kayak. Might take it out later...”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Just thinking of taking it out for a spin to get used to again. My place is on the Celestine, so I’m not too keen to fall out of the darn thing.” He chuckled.

“Yeah, the Celestine is pretty cold at the moment.” She smiled, remembering her earlier dip in the lake, as well as his.

“Oh, and you wouldn’t BELIEVE what I saw this morning...”

Kara noticed the way he was suddenly excited as his eyes lit up. Her heart rate started to spike thinking that she knew what he was about to say. She held her best poker face as she replied. “What?”

“Okay so…” He began. "I was just... You know, minding my own business. Really early this morning down by the water…”

“Mmm?”

“And there was this… this _huge wolf_. Outside my place. Most _beautiful_ animal I’ve ever seen. Bright blue eyes and everything! She was stunning.” His movements and voice were so exuberant and bright. He seemed genuinely absorbed in his little anecdote.

“How do you know it was a she?” Kara pressed.

“Meh. Just a guess. Too pretty and slender to be a male, I reckon.” His smile faded a bit when he realized he was probably a bit too enthusiastic about the whole thing. "Anyway. That was my morning. Sorry, that must be like, so boring and normal to you to see around here. I don’t really see stuff like that where I’m from.” He chuckled awkwardly and shrugged. Mon-El felt relieved when Kara smiled, this bright, beautiful smile that could have drowned out the sun.

“No no. It’ sounds awesome.” She smiled politely, a bit flattered that he seemed so taken with her. Well, not her, per say, but still. “…Were you scared?” She teased.

“Pff, of course not! It let me pat it and everything.”

“Okay, now I know you’re lying” She laughed. “I bet you were terrified.”

“Yeah. Okay, I was maybe… a little bit… _apprehensive_.”

Kara covered her mouth as she laughed again, and Mon-El found it endearing. The sound of her laugh made his insides swell. He could listen to that sound forever.

“Yeah, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for this complete figment of your imagination. A large, tame wolf, that is apparently a girl and lets strangers pet it.” Kara giggled, watching his expression turn into feigning hurt. It was surprisingly easy to chat with him. She found herself being playful again, though she didn’t know why.

“Fine, fine. It was wild and didn’t let me pet it. It growled at me and I think it wanted to eat me for breakfast."

“What did you do?”

“Screamed like a little girl.” He admitted with a grin.

“Ahh, the truth comes out.” She bit her lip to keep from smiling too much. He was so easy to talk to, exchanging harmless banter. There was a warmth to him that she liked.

“Do you... see that kind of thing often around here?” Mon-El's voice became more serious, genuinely curious about what life was like for her, and the kinds of wildlife that apparently inhabited the area. Kara just shrugged, though keen to continue their conversation for as long as possible.

“I don’t think it’s that common. I mean, there are plenty of deer and birds and the occasional bear, but I haven’t actually come across a wolf before." Kara smiled, and honestly, she wasn’t actually too sure there were any around here. Other than herself, she had never encountered another. Whether they were hunted or just didn’t have enough food in the area, she didn’t know.

“I hope I get to see it again.”

“Maybe you will.” Kara let another soft smile settle on her features, waiting for him to say something more.

"Anyway. I better let you get back to work.” Mon-El straightened up and she suddenly felt deflated that he would be leaving her to her job. People did stop to talk to her when she was working, but not like him. They weren’t vibrant and charismatic like he was. Still, he couldn’t hang around all day.

“Yeah, okay.” She sighed. “I’d better…” She trailed off, gesturing behind her to the stack of deliveries that hadn’t been sorted yet.

"It was nice to see you again, Kara.”

“You too, Mon-El.”

She let her shoulders sink when the chime over the door sounded, leaving her alone again.

 

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to let you know that Alex isn't being bitchy or anything, it's just the realistic sibling relationship I wanted to portray. I have a sister, and honestly, going from inspirational pep talk to annoyed and arguing to comfortable silence and normal conversation all in the span of 5 minutes is actually pretty normal. There's also some set up and clues along the way to past and present feelings about things. Like Kara not wanting to or meaning to be a burden to her sister, Kara's chronic loneliness, and the responsibility Alex shoulders being her sole guardian. Trying to get the dynamics, so hope I did okay. (Yes, I'll tell you about their backstory eventually. You know me, I give it to you in pieces and fragments to string together.)
> 
> Peace.


	4. Beware the bite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta. Was a fast write but this fic is just for fun so.. hope it's okay! Rated T for swearing, by the way. Sorry I use profanity a fair bit. 
> 
> Peace.
> 
> \---

 

The first half of Kara’s day went by far quicker than she imagined, sorting piles of mail and parcels together in order of address, and then neatly stacking them for pick up. Joe swung by a little later than usual, grunting some form of greeting to her as he loaded up the postal van without even acknowledging her existence. She just sighed and waited around for the next pickup, plopping down into her chair with a huff. The rest of her day would be a lot quieter, but it gave her time to sort out a bit of a shopping list for after work, starting with coffee. Since she had used the last of it that morning, she didn’t get to bring an extra one in her thermos for around lunch time, and didn’t want to walk down to the cafe to spend like, five fucking dollars on a flat white. Money was pretty scarce for the two Danvers, so she could just save it for later when she went to the store.

 _Coffee._  
_Milk._  
_Laundry powder._  
_Eggs._  
_Alex’s almond and cranberry cereal._  
_Bananas._  
_Lemon & Ginger tea._

Wow. Such an exciting list. Kara rolled her eyes. She didn’t really even need to get much from the store, but without coffee, she couldn’t function, so she’d better go get everything anyway, even if it was just a few things.

 _Bread,_  she scrawled down last minute, remembering that she’d be eating toast for dinner as per her sister’s request. She knew Alex was working two jobs, but Kara was the one who ate the most, so it wasn’t really fair to expect to eat all the Lasagne every time Alex made it and then buy ingredients for extra food before payday. Though, it wasn’t like pasta was expensive either.

 _Pasta_ , she wrote, and then put a question mark next to it – she would decide at the store. Kara couldn’t cook for shit, but if she bought everything for it and made it herself, then it would probably be okay with Alex.

The door chimed and Kara looked up to see an older woman, Elsie, enter through it. Kara saw her sometimes here and there when Elsie picked up her mail from her lock box, since she only lived a short walk from the post office.

“Good afternoon, Kara. How're things with you?”

“Good, thank you, Elsie. How are you?” She smiled politely and nodded.

“Well."

“How’s Rufus?” Rufus was her Rottweiler. Kara could never understand how a sweet old lady owned such a dog, but she knew Elsie was rather attached to the thing.

“Got into the trash again, the little mutt.” The woman groaned and moved to her lock box, picking out her bills and a small parcel.

Kara chuckled. “Yeah, they have a tendency to do that.” Not her, though. Kara was more human than dog, so it never crossed her mind to have such disorderly behaviours.

The woman looked up and continued to make conversation. “How’s Alex doing? She’s been working a lot lately, poor girl.”

Kara’s shoulders sank. She knew Alex was hard working, taking shifts at the diner during the day and then the local bar in the evenings. It definitely seemed like Kara was the lazy one compared to her. But what was she meant to do? She wasn’t hugely talented, and thanks to her lack of education and that little thing that happened to her at night time, there wasn’t exactly any career driven opportunities going for her. “Alex is good. She does work pretty hard, but hey! She’s going out on a date tonight! Which is really nice for her. She’s been dying to spend some time with this badarse chick she’s had a crush on for like, ages, so it’s really nice that they get to spend some quality time together.”

Kara also had a tendency to blab. Maybe it was the lack of socialisation being so isolated, or it was just in her nature. But she wanted to share something positive about Alex rather than concentrate on the long hours and hard work she had to do just to let them survive. Her smile quickly dampened, however, seeing Elsie scowl.

“I’m sorry, _what?_ ”

“Alex. She’s… going on a date. She has the day off…?” Kara was confused as to what about her sentence didn’t make sense. It was good news that she was happy to share.

“With another _woman?_ Alex is a _lesbian_?”

“Is that a _problem?_ ” Kara felt her chest flare with a sudden anger and protective fire. It sounded like this sweet little old lady maybe wasn’t so sweet after all. What did it matter if Alex was going on a date with another woman?

“Ugh. That is…just. Disgusting. Highly unnatural.” Elsie slammed her lockbox shut and started to stomp towards the door, but Kara wasn’t going to stand for some hideously unrighteous accusation about her sister.

“ _Excuse me?!_ ” She called after her, but the woman didn’t even look over her shoulder as she left.

“Good _day_ , Kara."

The door chimed as it swung closed, leaving her staring dumbfounded at the darn thing and onto the street. She was huffing and feeling her muscles tingle slightly, overcome with the desire to hit something. What a BITCH. Are you serious?

Holding her jaw tightly, Kara growled as she sat back down, mumbling to herself. Judgemental. Conservative. Old. Rat.

 

*

  
Finally getting to lock up, Kara pulled a light jacket on, walked out to her car, and drove to the nearby store. She was still in a bad mood about the whole Alex-Maggie-JudgmentalOldLady thing, feeling twitchy and high strung. Why did people care that Alex was into women? She was a good person! Extremely selfless, hardworking, looked after people (mostly Kara), and everyone loved her. She was fun and considerate and got along with everybody. But she was also strong and didn’t stand for other people's shit. If some egghead was being an arse at the bar because they’d had a few too many, Alex would just throw them out without a word and didn’t even need to get a strong male to do it. She could hold her own. She made sure people didn’t drive if they’d had too much to drink. Was polite and cordial and a downright inspiration! And people had a problem with her wanting to date? It was none of their fucking business anyway! She growled again under her breath as she picked up a basket and mindlessly wandered through the fruit section, went over and got some milk, and then traipsed over to the aisle with the bread. She tried not to think about it too much, feeling hot and uncomfortable in her jacket when she let that stupid woman’s words get under her skin.

 _Coffee._  
~~_Milk._~~  
_Laundry powder._  
~~_Eggs._~~  
 ~~_Alex’s almond and cranberry cereal._~~  
 ~~_Bananas._~~  
_Lemon & Ginger tea._  
~~_Bread_~~  
_Pasta?_

Kara decided against getting pasta for tonight. She didn’t have enough time to cook it anyhow, crossing it off her list and then making her way to the hot beverages aisle. Fuck, all her favourite tea was gone, so whatever. This day was just getting better and better.

Some idiot was standing in the way of the coffee, staring at it like he was blankly waiting for it to jump off the shelf or something. She just shoved past with barely a mumbled ‘excuse me,’ not even making an effort to be polite about it and grabbed what she knew to be the cheapest instant brew available.

“Shit sorry…” He moved aside a little, taken by surprise at her brash closeness. “Uhm, Kara?”

Her eyes snapped up instantly, coming face to face with _the guy from the post office_. Shit! “Mon- _El?_ ” Her brain stalled, before she snapped out of it and felt completely embarrassed while she apologized. “I’m sorry. I’m… I’m so sorry.”

“No no, it’s fine. I was in your way.”

“I’m… I’m not usually... I’m…” She continued to stumble over her words and just wanted to groan. WHYYYYY.

“Woah, there. You didn’t knock me out. Chill.” He chuckled and then pointed at the bag of coffee in her hand. “You seriously drink that shit?” He laughed again, and usually, she would have loved that sound – so lighthearted and soothing. But she was in a bad mood on a bad day and no, she didn’t like this stupid coffee either.

“Yes, Mon-El, I drink the shittest coffee here because it’s the cheapest and I work at a fucking post office.”

“Oh.” Mon-El took a step back, a bit stunned by her bite. “Is… is everything okay?” He looked at her with genuine concern on his features – such kind, translucent eyes, that she ended up getting lost in them for a moment.

He continued to look at her, some form of understanding written in the gentle lines of his face. A few moments later she caved, her shoulders collapsing. “No. Not really…” She sighed, dropping her guard down.

“Wanna talk about it?” He asked calmly.

“No… sorry. Just.. long day. Someone said some… not very nice things. I didn’t mean to be such a bitch to you.”

“It’s fine.” He shrugged, watching as Kara’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “I have a sister, remember? I’m pretty used to it.” He gave a gentle smile, not even bothered by her random outburst.

“Let me guess. You’re the calm, collected one, and she’s the moody one.” Kara rolled her eyes and popped her coffee in her basket next to the bread.

“Pretty much.” His signature smirk began to slide up his face, before he seemed to remember something and nodded to the shelves. "Hey, uhm… do you mind? I’ve been trying to figure out what is good here, but I don’t really recognize any of the brands."

"Trust you to be a coffee snob.”

“Woah, hey now. Take it easy.” He chuckled.

“Sorry. Uhm. The black bag on the top shelf. Assuming you want grinds and not instant." She pointed to it and watched him eye her curiously instead of reaching up for the French roast that Kara knew to be the best and most expensive one. “What?” She questioned.

“Nuthin.” He turned away from her to stretch up, getting two bags of it, instead of just one. Either he drank a lot of the stuff or he trusted her opinion. Either way, she wasn’t sure she was happy about him so casually being able to afford top shelf coffee like it was no big deal. It was even more expensive here than anywhere else, considering the low demand in such an area. Wow, she really WAS in a bad mood today.

“I’m sorry you had a bad day, Kara. Could I make it up to you?” He dangled one of the bags in front of her, and it took her a moment to realize he meant to offer it to her. And _buy it for her_. Oh.

“Uhmmm.” She stammered. "That’s really nice but… I… it’s not necessary.” She shook her head quickly, taking a step away from him.

Mon-El sensed he had made a faux pas, not meaning to offend Kara with the gesture. He understood that she probably wanted to be self-sufficient, and that buying someone coffee in this particular context might not have come across just a nice gesture he wanted it to be. “What if… I took you out for coffee instead?" He spoke, not meaning to ask her out so soon. But as the words left his mouth, he realized too late that this was it. She was going to flat out reject him. Shit.

“Out?”

“I just. Like you said, I’m new here. Ish. I’m just… not sure I’m going to adjust so well with… not having people around to talk to. I’m kinda used to being around people a lot.” He shrugged, but he was struggling to hold it together. Usually, he WAS the calm collected one. But not around this mysterious and pretty girl from the post office, it seemed.

Kara's brain stalled. She just stared at him.

 _Say something Kara. He’s looking at you. Oh my god. Stop. Embarrassing. Yourself. SAY SOMETHING._ She was just staring at his gorgeous, beautiful face, unable to open her mouth and make words come out. He was asking her out. He was asking her out? He was… asking her… out. After she had just been a complete bitch to him. _SAY SOMETHING!_

“I saw a cafe next to your work?” He looked towards his feet when she didn’t answer. Maybe she just didn’t know how to let him down easy.

“Yeah, it’s really nice....” Kara wasn’t saying what she wanted to say, and she wished right now that she could kick herself. Weird butterflies started floating around her stomach and she shifted on her feet to keep them contained.

“Would you like to meet up there sometime?” He remained hopeful, but the longer it took to answer the more it seemed like she just needed a moment to come up with an appropriate excuse.

“I’d love to.” Kara suddenly answered, and his brain stalled. What? She’d said yes?

He just stood there, looking at those deep blue eyes that reminded him of something he couldn’t place. _Shit. Say something Mon-El._

_She’s looking at you. Oh my god. Stop. Embarrassing. Yourself. Don’t be a bumbling idiot! SAY SOMETHING!_

“I have a lunch break at 1 pm,” Kara added, biting down on her soft bottom lip looking a little unsure. It was super cute and had his heart thudding in his chest. Wow. He didn’t know small innocent gestures could do that to him. He watched as she tucked a small blonde strand behind her ear, waiting for him to say something. Right. That was his cue.

“Okay, uh… great. How’s tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

His face broke out into a smile that he couldn’t beat down, but it didn’t really matter to him. She’d said yes to coffee, and suddenly his boring trip to the store didn’t seem so boring after all. He had something to look forward to. Someone to talk to and get to know. And he was pretty stoked that it would be _her._ “Perfect. I’ll… see you then.”

“I’ll let you uhm…” Kara shrugged and pulled out her list, trying to make out the words on it. She was suddenly a nervous wreck and wasn’t sure she was able to even look at Mon-El, having just agreed to go out with him. She tried to focus her attention elsewhere, blindly searching the page of her shopping list. _Lau…nd…Laundr….Laundr…._ Fuck. _Laundry Powder!_ Her brain finally worked, just in time for her to look up and see Mon-El leaving her be with a light wave.

“Catch you later, Kara.”

“See ya.” She smiled back, noticing her hand was literally shaking with the paper in her hand. Wow. She didn’t know that could happen.

 

*

Kara put away her groceries and tore open a packet of crackers to eat when she noticed she still hadn’t done the dishes. Having limited time in the evenings was really getting to be a pain in the arse, but she sucked it up as she collected up last night’s lasagne dish, a few coffee mugs, and popped up to Alex’s room to check if there was anything else that was laying around as well. She breezed down the stairs and filled the sink, dumping everything in the hot soapy water. She felt the need to pull her weight around the house as much as possible, since it was really the only way that she could help Alex. Unsurprisingly, her shift had begun to start before she was done, rushing through it and hoping she could at least get some of them dry before she turned, feeling her muscles tingle under her skin.

Great. And now she was on all fours, without dinner. Brilliant. Just. Fucking. Brilliant.

She couldn’t even reach the crackers she’d left open on the bench without making a complete mess, and she was NOT about to scrounge around like an actual dog through the trash or something. She was NOT a dog. Kara just sat her arse down and glared at the bench, willing herself back into human form. This was bullshit. Hungry Kara was angry Kara, and considering how her day had gone, she was about ready to explode. Stupid. Fucking. ARGH!

 

*

 

Mon-El quietly put his groceries away and decided it would be nice to cook something. It had been a while since he had exercised his culinary prowess, and now was as good a time as any. Problem was, he had a craving for pizza, which wasn’t exactly the classy thing he was going for. Still, he could make it from scratch! Then it would take up a lot of his evening, satisfy his need to make something, and also fulfil his boyish tastes.

He opened the fridge for a beer first, flicking the top off against the stone bench before taking a nice swig. First things first. Dough.

Unlike most of the things Mon-El was good at, cooking was relaxing. He took his sweet time, measuring to perfection and adding wet ingredients to dry, before kneading a nice batch of pizza dough with his hands. Deciding on some music to really get things going, he stopped to wipe his hands and grab his phone, loading a Spotify playlist to play while he worked. He needed to let the dough sit for a while, giving him time to prepare his toppings. He grated cheese, finely sliced some onion, and chopped up some ham – simple stuff really, and not at all fancy – but hey, it was homemade, so that made it pretty good in his books. Suddenly he wished he had bought some pineapple for it, but alas, it would have to be a pretty standard pizza.

He hummed along to whatever was playing as he rolled out a few pizza bases, superb thickness and masterfully circular if you were to ask him, and then spread a thick layer of sauce on them. Sprinkling a hearty amount of two different kinds of cheese over top, he decided to find some herbs as well. This was nice. Slow... Taking his time...

Cooking felt strangely calming to him, in the way it could be an unhurried and detailed task when he wanted it to be, evenly laying ingredients over one another and making sure everything was perfect. He took another swig of beer occasionally too, while skipping any shitty songs that came up on his playlist that he didn’t feel like listening to.

Noticing it was getting a bit too cold inside, Mon-El wiped his hands on his apron and went to shut his front door. His fingers wrapped around the handle and he looked up briefly outside into the low light, starting to tug it closed. His eyes caught a bit of movement in his periphery when… _NO WAY_.

 _She was back_. Mon-El stopped dead still, not wanting to make a sound as he admired the outline of the white wolf, standing among the trees again down towards the lake.

He continued to stare, barely wanting to breathe in case it heard him and ran off again, when it turned to him. Wow. Okay, wow. He wished he could run inside and grab his phone – pics or it didn’t happen – but he feared if he moved it would take off, and either way he wouldn’t get to prove to Kara that’d he’d seen the wolf again. What was it even doing? It was just standing there, looking at him.

The sudden overwhelming need to move closer to it overtook him, but he knew better than to get up close to a wild animal. Lucky for him, it started to walk towards _him_ instead.

“Shit.”

It was still a fair way off in the distance, but he suddenly didn’t feel all that comfortable with its approach. Remembering sharp teeth and growling from earlier that morning, the hair on the back of his neck started to stick up.

“Hey, girl,” Mon-El called over to it, thinking it would probably run away at that point. It’s not what he wanted, but he didn’t really want it getting any closer either. It stopped, and Mon-El held his breath. It eyed him curiously and then just... _sat down._

It stayed there, not moving a muscle and it didn’t look like it was going anywhere, giving Mon-El an idea. He’d bought some steak and other things at the store for the week, and maybe if he gave it something he could get in its good books. It wouldn’t eat him if he gave it a bit of food, right? Animals were smart – he could sweeten her up a little.

Holding his breath, Mon-El dashed over to his fridge, rummaged around, and quickly went back to his front deck with a random chunk of meat in his hand. Okay, granted, not what he imagined he’d be doing with his evening, but if he got the thing to stick around long enough, maybe he’d get to take a blurry picture of it to show to Kara tomorrow.

“Okay so, I think we got off to a bad start...” he began, not quite sure why he was talking to an animal. “But… instead of ripping my limbs off, how about a truce? This steak right here is like… super expensive so I think you’ll like it.” He tossed it a fair distance, but wanted to see if he could get it to come a bit closer too. It worked! The beautiful creature started to walk slowly towards him, his heart slamming into his ribs. Still terrifying. Still terrifying. Holy shivers. _Definitely_ terrifying.

Mon-El watched as the wolf gracefully paced closer, reaching down to inspect his peace offering.

And then rejected it. What?! It just sat down, and then looked at him again.

“Well, what else do you want?” He huffed. "I assure you that scotch fillet is top of the line and far better eating than me.” Mon-El didn’t even realize he’d put his hands on his hips, slightly disappointed that all of his gifts today were being rejected.

“I’m not giving you my chocolate cookies if that’s what you want,” he grumbled. He saw a slight wag of a tail, leaving him completely dumbfounded. Was it tame? Or just not hungry? It got up and started to creep closer, causing Mon-El’s eyes to widen. He placed his hand back on the door handle in case he had to hide from it inside. “Look, no offence, you’re really pretty. But I’m still shit scared of you. So don’t get too upset if I freak out and just… mind my own business inside, okay?”

The wolf stopped and lay down, still looking at him, but was completely unthreatening from its place resting on its paws. “Oh.” Well, that was different. It didn't seem hungry, which was weird, but he didn't trust the thing not to bite him so he wasn't about to try pet it. Still, now was totally his opportunity to get a picture while it was nearby.“Hey ah. I know you don’t understand a word I’m saying. But if you could like, just wait right there while I grab my phone... I met this beautiful girl at the post office and I’d really like to talk a picture of you to show her. That cool?”

Mon-El dashed back inside, pulled his phone off the charger, and then went back outside, nearly tripping over his shoes in the process. He fumbled around with the main screen to load his camera and looked up.

But the wolf was gone. 

Dammit!

 

**


	5. Non-Date Dates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta. Please forgive any mistakes xo. Also, this didn't turn out nearly as playful or fluffy (pun intended) as I originally planned... the muse decided to go a bit more emotionally realistic route (annoying, but the must writes what the muse wants to write) Hopefully you'll still like it. Let me know what you think in the comments.
> 
> Peace.

 

 

Kara wasn’t usually one to whine, but the moment Alex FINALLY stumbled in the door at about 1 am, she leapt off the couch and collided with her sister, pawing at her legs while making a fuss. She was absolutely flipping _starving._

“Kara? What's wrong? Are you hurt?” Alex dropped her bag immediately and checked over Kara’s shoulders, scanning the rest of her body. Her sister was always one to panic that she’s somehow gotten herself into trouble or something while by herself. Not the case this particular time, but Kara wasn’t too surprised by the reaction. She shifted her head from side to side as much as possible in an effort to communicate, whinging and trying not to bark demandingly. She was just HUNGRY.

“Seriously? What’s wrong with you?” Alex scolded and looked up, trying to figure out what was causing her to be in such a state. She noticed the dishes were done and nothing much was out of place, no one had left the oven on (thank goodness for that), and no one was in the house stealing anything… Everything looked perfectly normal, except for a random packet of crackers that were open on the bench. They were completely untouched… which was pretty unusual for Kara. _Oh._

“You missed dinner, didn’t you…” Alex looked down knowingly at the ball of fur shuffling about at her feet, crossing her arms. Kara barked once as gently as possible and sat down, waiting expectantly. Please for the love of Rao would someone give her some food already!

“Gods you’re useless!” Alex rolled her eyes, causing Kara’s heart to sink. She didn’t mean to be such a burden and hated being this way. But this stupid _thing_ that happened was just what she had been stuck with. She wasn’t sure what sins she’d committed in another life to deserve her curse, but it upset her deeply that she caused Alex so much trouble – especially because she had control over it what-so-ever. She had tried _really hard_ to get everything done like the shopping and the dishes before her change, but had simply run out of time. There was only so much she could do in a day before the sun sank over the horizon leaving her… well… like _this_.

Alex moved to the freezer and swung it open, shuffling thought items and inspecting their stash of leftovers for something edible. “There’s some chicken and rice thingy from the other night... Do you want that?” She got the container out and started to move across the kitchen to the microwave, looking down at Kara. She rolled her eyes again when there was no form of answer from her, knowing that her wolfie sister would eat whatever she was given without complaint. Taking out a clean plastic bowl that she kept for emergencies like this one, Alex dumped the food in it and placed a paper towel over the top, before setting it in the microwave and turning the dial to high. “There. Happy?”

Kara nodded a thank you as best she could, which was more just dipping her head slightly. Finally, some real food that wasn’t a hunk of raw meat! Truthfully, she’d forgiven Mon-El for doing what any ordinary person would have done when attempting to feed any ordinary wolf. It was understandable. But after such a long day and her stomach growling at her, no one could blame her for at least trying her luck, wandering around and hoping he’d toss her something nice. He _had_ said at the store that he was hopeful to see her again, and she was kind of flattered that he’d gotten all excited over her wolf form. Going to see him was a win-win, since maybe if she was super lucky, he’d toss her one of those chocolate things he’d been talking about. She’d thought about hinting somehow, but didn’t want to give herself away – she had to remind herself that she was supposed to be keeping her alter-identity a secret. Showing that she understood everything Mon-El was saying, or even appearing anything other than completely wild, would surely raise suspicion.

“Couch, Sis. I need to fill you in!" Alex interrupted her thoughts and pointed over to the lounge, nodding in the direction of the seat. Kara got up and paced over to her spot before jumping up onto the cushions, making herself comfortable while leaving enough room for her sister. “I mean, I’ll fill you in properly when you can talk back. But since you are up…” Alex shrugged. “Me and Maggie went to like five different stores, which I kind of hated to be completely honest, but she was really great and has a wicked sense of humour…” Her eyes lit up a little bit as she spoke. “Did you know she has a degree in science? Biotechnology, actually. Totally weird that she ended up way out here working in _law enforcement,_ right? Anyway. We had a nice time and went to dinner and stuff. I was too scared to ask her that.. that _thingy…_ that you said I should ask her. But we chatted and laughed and had brownies and ice-cream for dessert. So it was still really nice.” Alex gave her a limp smile and started tugging on her ear. “She’s thinking of moving out of town though… so… I dunno.” She shrugged, some of her initial vibrance dying with her words. “Anyway… How was your day?”

Kara just growled for a second in response – that pretty much summed it up. Alex kept playing with her ear which was totally annoying, but she wasn’t going to complain or fuss about it when she had made the effort to grab her something to eat. Kara just let out another huff, certain from her sister’s stupid gleeful looking face that she just found her mood amusing.

“So... good then?” Alex laughed, playing with the fur near her collar. She growled again before they both heard the microwave ding, and Alex jumped up to go grab her food. She returned moments later, placing it on the floor for Kara and lingered a moment longer before deciding to just go to bed.

Alex somehow knew that she didn’t like having to eat in this form. At least, not in front of anybody – it was weird and embarrassing and there was never really any way to be polite about. Having her nearby was more than slightly uncomfortable, so she was grateful that Alex understood.

“Well, I’m gonna get some sleep. Sorry that you had a shitty day Sis… Talk more over breakfast, yeah?” Alex ruffled up her fur a bit one last time – a pesky thing she did sometimes – and then blissfully made her way up the stairs to bed. “Thanks for doing the dishes!” She called over her shoulder and then shut her door, leaving Kara alone. At least she seemed in a good mood after her non-date date. Kara was happy for her – that there was a chance she could really do something for herself now, and not just spend all her time looking after her shapeshifter sister. They’d both been quite independent for some time, but she still relied heavily on Alex as the only person that really understood her and her specialized needs. It wasn’t always easy being so… different… and having such a huge secret to hide all the time. As much as she loved having her sister around to be the one who knew everything, it was a lot for Alex to carry on her own. Staying out in the middle of nowhere probably wasn’t what she wanted, but she never complained about it or said anything about moving away. Perhaps if she had Maggie, as a cherished friend or otherwise, she wouldn’t be so alone and work all the time. Kara _could_ look after herself, mostly, but Alex found her purpose in being a protector and support person for so long, that it was difficult for her to let go and do things for herself. Perhaps a potential crush would introduce something new into the mix. Something worth giving her time and energy up for… something to make her happy.

Kara shook her head again as she contemplated their unique situation and all the sacrifices her older sibling had made to allow them this life. It wasn’t fantastic, but it worked for now.

Turning her attention to the bowl in front of her, Kara found she was salivating uncontrollably. Oh, right. DINNER!

 

*

 

Kara tried not to fidget at work, but she had nothing much to do and was unable to concentrate on a _darn thing_. It was completely overwhelming trying to just focus on the page in front of her. She had been stuck on this one paragraph for the last 15 minutes, reading and re-reading over and over trying to get the darn words to sink into her brain, but they were just blank letters – markings on a page that wouldn’t form into anything.

She was going to coffee. With a really cute guy. A really cute really nice guy that had asked her out. To coffee. She was going out to coffee with a GUY. A real-life male. An _attractive_ male. She was going out to coffee with a real life really cute really nice attractive male.

 _Rao, get it together, Kara. SERIOUSLY._ Her thoughts were going round in complete nonsensical circles, repeating over and over again that she was going to have to socialize with someone who she found utterly gorgeous. What would they talk about? Would she screw it up? She wasn’t an interesting person, not really, nor did she do all that much with her time. The only thing about her that was maybe noteworthy she couldn’t share anyway and had to keep a complete secret. Gosh, this was a bad idea. A super bad idea. What would she even say to him?!

But he was nice. And calm and polite and a little bit charming… if anything, she could use this as practice. It’s not like she had gone out for coffee with a really cute really nice guy, like… _ever_.

Looking at the clock above the door, Kara noticed it was only 11 am. Still 2 hours until her ‘lunch break’, even though she had nothing much to do. Suddenly she wished there were bitter old ladies to attend to or _something_ to keep her brain occupied and her muscles still – at this rate she was going to work a hole in the floor from all her tapping into the hardwood.

Tugging on her sleeves, she also wished that for once in her life she had a nice dress or something to wear, maybe even a skirt… but she was more a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl. Who really cared when you lived all the way out here and had no one to impress? She had made sure there weren’t any lingering traces of fur anywhere on her clothing and picked out a simple grey sweater to go over her jeans – her _nice_ jeans – if these even counted. They didn’t have holes in them which was a bonus, plain black and not even fancy.

But it didn’t matter. It wasn’t a proper date or anything. It was coffee. Just… having a conversation. It would be fine. Totally fine.

“Excuse me, Miss…”

Kara’s eyes snapped up out of her thoughts, taken off guard when she didn’t hear the chime over the door. Again? Seriously? At least she finally had something to do with herself. “Uhh... Hi. What can I help you with?” She smiled politely and took her reading glasses off, turning her attention to a customer.

“I’m just looking for a place... uhhh… it’s called... hold on.” He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his jacket pocket and looked at it, squinting until he could make sense of something. “Oh… the uh…. Brighthurst River Reserve?”

“Sure.” Kara smiled. "It’s about 6 miles north of here. Just take the main road until you find the turn-off – it’s a gravel road on the left. There are signs and everything, so you should find it.”

“Thanks. Uhhh… you got a map or something?”

“No, sorry. But there is an information centre down the street that could help you out with that if you wanted.”

“Oh… okay, great. Thanks so much. Cell service is kinda spotty around here... Should have thought of that before I tried to use Google maps for everything…” He shook his phone around in his hand sheepishly, seeming a bit embarrassed for not knowing where anything was. It was totally fine – the locals knew that plenty of people passed through for weekend trips or to go exploring and got lost or were just unsure. It never bothered Kara, but for some reason, people hated asking for directions.

Kara nodded to the section next to the gift cards with a knowing smile. “Stand in the corner over there...” Cell service WAS terrible, but for the lucky people that knew the sweet spots, different areas managed to get a bar or two.

“Oh, it's working! Thanks a lot.”

“No problem.”

A few moments longer, and Kara was left alone again in the post office, rolling her eyes. Well, that distraction was short lived. And still… 1 hour 53 minutes until her non-date date.

 

*

 

 

By the time she hung the ‘back in 30 min’ sign across the door, Kara’s hands were shaking slightly as she attempted to put the key in the lock. Clearly she was putting far too much weight behind a simple meet up for coffee. After all that impatiently waiting around for her lunch break to come, now it was actually _here,_ she suddenly wished it wasn’t.

“All set?”

Kara jumped at the voice behind her, recognising after a moment that it was _him_. She turned around just in time to see him laughing at her. “Flipping heck, Mon-El!”

“Sorry...” He grinned, filling her with a strange sense of relief. Well, at least now she didn’t have to sit at a table in the cafe anticipating his approach. He was already here – right in front of her with that gorgeous face of his. There was something about him that instantly put her at ease, those previous anxieties fading with his gentle (yet kind of smug looking) smile. "Snuck up on you there..."

“Yeah... maybe don’t do that again. I might stab you with my key.” She narrowed her eyes at him, somewhat playfully.

He chuckled. “My apologies. I was a bit early. Thought I’d just swing by, rather than just wait around awkwardly.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t show up or something?”

“To be completely honest, I wasn’t sure.” He shrugged. "I haven’t asked someone out in… a long time. Feels weird,” he admitted.

“You think this is _weird?_ ”

“No! Gosh, no that’s not what I ah... I just–"

“–I’m kidding, Mon-El,” she laughed, seeing him putting in a great deal of effort not to facepalm. Now they were even. “It’s kinda weird to me too. So sorry if I get a bit awkward. I'm not used to…” She trailed off, shaking her head slightly when she noticed that she was blabbing again.

Mon-El was pretty sure she was about to say she wasn’t used to going out to coffee or being asked out for such things, which was… hugely surprising considering she was stunning and playful and – not to be shallow – but _very_ pleasing to look at. It was puzzling to him that Kara wouldn’t date. But it felt kind of nice that she was so open straight off the bat. “So… coffee then?” He smiled politely, hoping that he wouldn’t totally screw this up.

Kara’s smile suddenly widened – that sunshine smile he was getting used to seeing on her – before she started leading the way. “You’re in for a treat. For such a no-where kind of town, we actually have decent coffee here.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

“I’m sure you will.” She laughed lightly as the walked together for a few minutes, not seeing anyone else the entire way to there. Eventually, they came across the one place that wasn’t actually deserted, a slight ambience of sound that he recognised floating out of the cafe. There was low chatter mixed with the clinking of cups and plates, a soothing balm he was familiar with. As they walked in, he noticed that the light, airy space only had a few people scattered around it – it wasn’t bustling or anything like back in National City. But it was comfortable – just enough sound to remind him of home.

“Hi there.” The barista smiled at Mon-El brightly, before she eyed Kara. “Oh, Hey Kara.”

“Hey, Josephine. How’s your day going?”

“You know, pretty standard.” The girl shrugged. “Oh, you should totally try the giant chocolate chunk cookies though… fresh out of the oven. I promise they are amazing.”

“Gods yes!” Kara grinned, before turning to Mon-El. “So... I’m just getting a standard flat white… I assume you want a hot chocolate?” She teased, knowing from their little run in at the store he seemed very into his high-quality brews, and definitely not a hot chocolate kind of guy.

“Hah, very funny. Maybe if I was 10.” He made a weird face at her before stepping forward. “I’ll just grab an Americano – double shot, please. And a large flat white for Kara here. I’m paying.”

“You don’t have to do tha–“

“–And uhh… two of those giant cookies you were talking about.” Mon-El cut her off, watching the girl at the counter give a knowing smile.

“Anything else?”

“Uhh…” He turned to Kara. “Well, it’s your lunch break. Do you want something decent to eat, too?”

“No no, that’s fine.”

“You sure?”

“Truth be told, I already at my lunch like… two hours ago while reading my book.” She shrugged like it was completely normal for people to do that.

Mon-El gave another bright smile to Josephine, handing over his credit card. “Okay, that’s all.”

“Great. Coming right up.”

After the girl at the counter handed them a number and gave Mon-El back his card, he gestured for Kara to lead the way, lifting his arm for her to go first. “After you...”

“Let’s sit outside. It’s nicer in the sun.”

“Sure.” He followed after her, trying not to catch the way her hair smelled like peaches. A few other people eyed him suspiciously from their tables, thinking that it wasn’t obvious. Kara was completely unaware of the unwanted attention, but he assumed it was because he wasn’t a local. No one had ever seen him around before, so there was bound to be a little bit of curiosity. Still, he’d hoped to maybe make a few friends here over his short stay – and he wasn’t sure if he was just being paranoid or they were giving him weird looks. Maybe he was overdressed or something?

Kara interrupted his thoughts, launching straight into conversation. “So. How are you liking your stay so far?” She pulled her chair out, sitting down before he could be all gentlemanly. But that was okay, he supposed – he’d better not overdo a casual coffee thing. It wasn’t a date, right? Just… conversation. And coffee. With a girl. A really pretty really nice girl.

He joined her at the table, feeling the sun lightly kissing his skin. “It’s fine. I mean, it’s good. I just haven’t been here that long, so I haven’t really formulated any solid opinions on the place.” He was still settling in. But it wasn’t bad or anything.

“Why _did_ you pick Linden Valley, of all places… can I ask?”

“Sure. I uhh… well...” he began, “I haven’t been out here since I was a kid, so it sort of seems like a distant memory to me. I guess... I wanted to see what it was like. If I have any attachment to the place. I had a few reasons for coming. The main one being I needed a break. And the other being that our lake house never gets used anymore, so I thought I’d check it out and see if it was still worth keeping.”

“Oh. You’re thinking of selling…?” She surmised.

“Not sure yet. It’s sort of just… sitting here. Out in the middle of nowhere.”

“Well, that’s true. We are pretty off-grid.”

“Yeah. It’s just been something we’ve never gotten around to doing. Me and Lena are pretty darn busy, and our mom… well…” He shrugged. Kara sensed that there was more there, but didn’t want to ask in case it was a sensitive topic.

“Killing two birds with one stone. Makes sense.” She leaned back in her chair, looking up to see Josephine approaching them with their order.

“So… Double shot americano for you… and... large flat white.” She set the hot drinks down, before gently placing a plate with some SERIOUSLY amazing looking cookies between the two of them. “Try not to get addicted.” She joked towards Kara, before picking up their number and turning to leave.

“Thanks, Jose.”

“No problem.” The girl wandered off back into the cafe, leaving them alone together.

Mon-El reached straight for one of the sweet treats in the middle of the table, breaking a large piece off and chucking it in his mouth. His eyes widened as he began to chew. “Damn, these are even better than mine!” He mumbled through his full mouth, seeming like he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Kara just took a small sip of her coffee, before she too reached forward for a cookie. She was trying to be polite, and not give away the fact that she was a seriously overzealous eater. “You bake?”

“I have been known to dabble in some activities of the culinary variety from time to time…” Mon-El shrugged.

Kara broke off a small piece, gently placing it in her mouth. Oh, wow, these were amazing – soft and sweet with huge chunks of melty warm chocolate. "So you can cook as well?” She mumbled quietly through her full mouth, still entranced by the delightful treat she was eating.

"Why do you sound so impressed?” Mon-El chuckled. "Is it cause’ I’m a guy?”

"No no. It’s not that.” Kara laughed lightly, covering her mouth to stop crumbs falling out. “I just... can’t cook to save my life. I’m pretty sure I nearly burned our house down the one time I tried."

“That _is_ unfortunate.” He laughed, before turning his attention to the coffee sitting in front of him. Kara watched him take a sip, wondering if he would think it was shit or not. It was weird to be insecure about something as simple as whether or not he would like his drink, but she wanted their non-date date to go well. She fiddled a little bit with the rim of her cup, sliding her finger along it while she waited for his reaction. “Ooh, this is good.” She heard him speak before lifting his mug back up to drink some more, causing her to smile.

“Well… I did say…”

“Hey, wasn’t this whole thing my idea?”

“True… “ She enjoyed another sip of her flat white and lifted her gaze over her cup, stealing more glances at Mon-El. He was trying to savour his cookie, gazing at it as if he could extend its life just by staring at it longingly. Kara quickly averted her eyes when he looked up caught her staring. “So what do you cook?" She asked him another question before he mentioned it.

“Right. Cooking." Mon-El gently sat his mug down, leaning back in his chair a bit more while enjoying the sun. He wasn’t sure if the warmth was coming from the rays of light sinking into his skin or the woman in front of him, but it was super nice. "I mean… it’s not something I do often. I’m lazy and just get myself takeout most of the time. My speciality is lemon cheesecake. But uhh… last night I made some Pizza from scratch, if that counts."

"You made Pizza. From scratch."

“Yeah?"

"Okay, now I’m definitely impressed."

“It _was_ pretty good.” He gleamed. "Nothing like these amazing pieces of heaven right here, though.” He twirled the remaining piece in his hand, contemplating how best to savour it. “I mean, it’s not super hard once you learn. I could teach you if you want."

“What?” Kara nearly spat out her coffee, not expecting him to so casually suggest he teach her something that required his time and effort. He seemed completely oblivious as he just continued to talk.

“To bake. Or cook. Whatever... Same thing, really.”

“I’m not sure you should take that risk…” Kara replied nervously. It was more an excuse than anything.

“Your loss.” He just smiled, not the least bit fazed.

“Hey, I didn’t say no…” she retorted. "I’ll think about it. It’s just that… embarrassing myself in front of a cute guy isn’t something I want to sign myself up for.” She wasn’t sure she would be comfortable with spending more time with someone she had just met, but it wasn’t an offer she wanted to outright decline. Teaching her to cook would be totally amazing, especially with the whole Alex thing she’d been thinking about lately. She would think about it later though, choosing to take another sip of coffee. “Why are you smiling like that?” She questioned. Apparently, Kara was completely oblivious to what her stupid blabbermouth had just admitted.

“You think I’m cute.”

“I did not say that.”

“Yeah.. you kinda did. Just then. Like, right then.”

“Pfff.. that’s…”

“Completely fine for you to admit. If it’s any consolation, I think you’re cute too.”

“Just cute?” She asked jokingly, though a part of her wanted to know if he would say any more. Who could blame her?

“Hm…” He just shrugged and took the last bite of his cookie, smiling a bit while chewing to completely avoid the question. “So guess what?”

“What?"

"I saw the wolf again..."

"Okay, now you're just being silly."

"No, for real! Last night."

"I don't believe you. I've lived here for over 10 years and _I've_ never seen one. And you've seen the SAME one, what... like twice in 3 days?”

"Hey, don't be jealous. Maybe it just thinks I'm cute." He teased her again, earning a pair of rolled eyes.

“I meant in an objective sense. Like in general."

“Sure…”

“So, tell me about this wolf. I mean, this imaginary thing you think you saw but totally didn’t…” She kind of liked teasing Mon-El, and acting like she was completely disbelieving was also the best way for him to never make the connection. She could never have him find out the truth, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t curious about what he thought of their encounters.

“Well, I tried to give it some nice food but I don’t think it was hungry. Just looked at me like I was stupid or something.”

“Maybe it would have just preferred your pizza. That you made from scratch. ” She laughed, her eyes twinkling.

“I would say that I highly doubt that, but my cooking _is_ pretty amazing so… you’re probably right.” He grinned.

“You’ll have to try it next time…”

“Maybe I will.”

Kara hid her smug little smile behind her mug as a short silence fell over their table. They continued their drinks in the sun, taking a small pause before continuing to talk. Mon-El was the first to speak, keen to know more about Kara.

"So. How come you live all the way out here?”

“Uhm…” Kara contemplated for a second what she would tell him. She shouldn’t really tell him everything. It was complicated and a bit strange. And he probably wouldn’t understand. But as per usual, her stupid mouth took over before she’d really thought it through. She sighed. “Me and Alex… that’s my sister... we got put in the foster system when we were really young.” She looked up for Mon-El’s reaction but he was just gently attentive, so she continued to speak. "I don’t remember it, but apparently we were in a car accident. Our parents… uhm… yeah...” Kara shook her head and then just kept talking, skipping over the uncomfortable bit. "Anyway. They tried to keep us together, me and Alex I mean, since we were sisters. But… no one really wanted us. I guess it was difficult – Alex was a lot older than me, and being two of us. So we got bounced around the system a bit. Struggled to find places…” She trailed off, noticing that she was saying too much.

“So you were… somewhere else before here?”

“Uhm. Yeah. A city somewhere. I don’t really remember where. Except that there were too many people and that I hated it…” More so when she started to shift. It didn't really matter until then. But it was too difficult to deal with the overwhelming changes happening to her body and life while also keeping it a secret. It was painful and confusing. Living in the city while being placed with families she never really connected with... Trying to hide in such full and busy places... Moving a few times when it didn’t work out…

It wasn’t the best upbringing.

Mon-El was surprised that Kara seemed okay to just talk about herself so honestly. It was refreshing that they could have a real conversation. Hearing some of her backstory took him a bit off guard, but it helped him understand a bit more about her. “So you… don’t really like people?” He asked.

“It’s not that!” Kara protested. “People are fine. I just… I like space too…”

“So then what happened?” He didn’t want to be too intrusive, but there was an interesting story there, he could tell. Maybe it was just his inner writer and wanting to know the details. Habit. But he wanted to know more.

“Huh?”

“Like. You were living in a city in foster care… and then…”

“Oh. Right. We were um… allowed our inheritance under special circumstances when Alex turned 16. Sort of. She got classed as a legal adult and was allowed to become an independent. But technically still not old enough to become my guardian. I had to stay in the foster system. They said she was old enough to look after herself, gave it to her under special circumstances early – which apparently you can do before you turn 18, but they review each person on a case by case basis…”

Mon-El tried extremely hard to keep up with all of Kara’s talking. For someone who implied she didn’t really like socializing, she certainly had a motor mouth on her. Kara was probably just a little nervous, but he found her interesting. Her story was… different. Really different.

“Anyway. Alex got independent status but wasn’t allowed to look after me as a minor. She tried. And asked and stuff. But they didn’t think she would have the ability to look after herself AND a dependant.”

“I’m sensing there’s more here…”

“Yeah. Sorta… Uhhmmmm. I ran away.”

"You what?"

“I ran away. Well… _we_ ran away, I guess. I didn’t like my foster family at the time. And I knew Alex would do a better job of looking after me than them anyway, since we are actually related and she _actually_ loves me. I dunno. It’s like… I was left out… never really a part of a real family. Because they had children, but I wasn’t really one of theirs. They tried… but you can always tell, you know? That they love their own children and not you."

“Shit…”

“Sorry. That was a lot to drop on you. I’m so sorry we only just met and I’m talking way too much and–”

“–No no, it’s okay. I like listening. It’s fine. If you are okay sharing…” Mon-El gave her this genuine look of understanding that made her insides melt. Why was he so nice? He’d changed his tune a little to adjust to the heavier topic just like that, losing the smug exterior she was getting used to seeing on him. "I’m still interested to hear more if you are comfortable telling me…” He spoke gently. "It helps me get to know you. It’s kind of nice to have a real conversation with someone."

“Oh…” Kara smiled sheepishly, not sure why she was telling this guy her life story.

“So. You ran away. To here?”

“Yeah. With what little our parents left us, we were able to get a small place up here. Well. With what Alex could get."

“…Since I assume you were unable to access your half of what your parents left you, right? Since you were still a minor?"

"Yeah. We got some of that when I turned 18. It helped. Most of it is still in the trust fund. In case of… stuff. I dunno. I kinda want to give it back to Alex, you know? For everything she’s done for me. We agreed to keep most of it as savings or like an emergency fund. We’ve never really been able to save cause’ all our income goes into expenses. She said I might want to move out of here one day or something. But... I’m happy here. And it’s there if we ever need it."

"How old were you again?"

"I um… I was only 12. When we left. She was nearly 17 by then."

"Holy shit."

“Mmmmm.” She often forgot that they were really young when they’d taken on the world all by themselves. After a while, you just got used to it. It was hard, but Kara found people were capable of a lot more than they realized if they had to in order to survive. “We got used to it. It hasn’t been easy going, especially on Alex. She's looked after me for as long as I can remember.”

“She sounds like quite the sister.”

"Worked two jobs for as long as I can remember... Can throw a mean right hook… yeah, I’d say she’s quite the sister.” Kara chuckled while looking down, fondness crossing over her features.

“You’re lucky to have her.”

“You have no idea.” Kara sighed into her drink, nearing the bottom. She swirled it around a bit, suddenly turning silent.

“Well, that’s a pretty intense little backstory you’ve got there, Kara.”

“Is it weird?” She asked, suddenly nervous.

“Not weird. Just sounds like it must have been difficult…”

“It was, I guess. But we had each other. You learn to survive.” She shrugged.

“Survive? Just survive?”

“What?”

“Are you happy here? I mean. Sorry if that’s… never mind.” Mon-El shook his head and started tracing shapes on the outside of his mug, not really sure how to bridge into another topic.

“It’s lonely. But I’m happy enough…” Kara spoke gently, causing him to lift his eyes across the table and settle in hers. He felt a bit saddened hearing the way Kara talked about surviving and doing their best with what she had. It was nice that she had an older sibling who looked after her and was strong and protective – he knew what that was like. But to hear them settling for what life had given them, because it had been such a brutal bitch to them both… it made his heart sink that Kara didn’t even seem bothered by her situation. Maybe it was a good thing – that she was able to tackle life and just accept it the way it was. That she had adapted and found a different kind of living. But it didn’t sound like she was happy. It sounded like she was settling for her lot and had been fighting so long for survival she didn’t even know there was so much more for her.

“You know my half-sister?” Mon-El began.

“Yeah?"

“She kind of sounds like Alex. Not completely, just in the way she’s looked after me. She’s been the backbone of our family."

“Oh?”

"It doesn’t matter how old I get, I’ll probably always be her little brother…” He rolled his eyes as if the sentiment actually annoyed him, but there was affection there too.

“You’re the youngest as well?”

“Yup. I’m the little brat of the family.”

“Really? I would never have guessed by that smug look you always wear on your face…” Kara joked, trying to at least add some lightness to their conversation.

“What smug look would that be?” He intensified it, just to make it obvious.

“That one!”

“Oh… yeah. That one. That’s my go to.”

“Suits you.” Kara mused.

They continued to talk, moving through various lighter conversation topics with only a few more personal questions coming up here and there. Kara was already way overtime on her lunch break, but didn’t really care since it was a quiet day and missing one person might be a total inconvenience to them, but not that much of a big deal. It wouldn’t lose her the job or anything.

Kara wanted to ask about his family too, since he had kind of hinted at a few things, but just skimmed over it. There was so much more she wanted to know about him. It would be nice to just talk all day out in the sun, but they didn’t have enough time. _Enough time_. Of course, her curse would find her here, even in the daylight. Not. Enough. Time.

“You okay?” Mon-El reached over the table placing a hand on her wrist, stopping her from digging her fingernails into her palm. She hadn’t even realized she was doing it.

“Uhm, yeah. I’m okay. Just thinking."

“Your uhm… your 30 minutes was up quite a while ago.” Mon-El reminded her gently that she would have to return to her shitty life, looking at her with subdued concern. She was a bit disappointed that their coffee would end. It hadn’t even felt like they’d been talking that long.

“Yeah, I'd better… get back to work.” She attempted a smile, not sure if it was coming out quite right.

“Maybe we can meet up again another time. I’ve enjoyed our little chat.”

“I’d really like that.”

“Yeah?"

“How about I give you my number, and you can just text me to meet up.” Kara offered.

Mon-El couldn’t believe it. She was giving him her number and he hadn’t even asked. This was going way better than he ever could have predicted. Taking out his phone from his jacket, he smiled. “Cell service willing, I will definitely call you.”

“If not, just stop by. You know where to find me.” Kara shrugged and took his phone from him gently, entering her details into it and saving them.

“Sounds perfect.” Mon-El beamed.

"Well, I’d better get back to my non-job job after this lovely non-date date.” She chuckled. "I’ll see you round, Mon-El.” She slung her bag over her shoulder and smiled as she turned to leave, quickly tossing her hair over her shoulder to add something more before she left. “Say hi to your wolf friend for me.”

“I will.”

He couldn’t stop smiling as he stared down at his phone.

_Kara Danvers._

 

_\--_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.s Im not watching Season 3 so my characters are based entierly on interactions from S2 and my own fanish developments. For those that have been reading Lion, youll already know my fondness for a Lemon Sibling dynamic. Its based mostly on their interactions in the Daxamite Spaceship... Mon being takled by guards while Lena simply walks over and picks up an Alien gun and shoots a guy, taking her sweet time. Lena elbowing that mother fucking bitch in the warehouse in the face was pretty good too. My impressions have grown based on what i knew about their characters then, how I enjoyed them in s2, and have obviously developed on what I enjoyed or imagined i wanted to see more of from information given then. My ideas havent really changed much. Since i have NO IDEA what Lena is actually like in s3, youll have to bear with me if they are so far out of character now that you dont recognize them. Same goes for the Sanvers relationship. The last i saw of them was s2 dynamics. So if you are wondering why my ideas are stuck in the past... thats why. Im not watching s3. Feel free to keep anything about the current season as far away from me as humanly and alienly possible. 
> 
> Peace.


	6. Reflection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends. Sorry to take SO horrendously long. I was hospitalized unexpectedly and have had to put all my writing on hold. Getting a bit better now, but things will be pretty fucking slow on the writing front due to recovery (that also means Lion Part 2 is being pushed way way back, sorry team.)
> 
> I hate it when ppl don't update or abandon works and hate even MORE being that person. But I promise all my works will be finished. I'm not gonna just up and disappear without warning, even if it does take me ages (Yes, even Bonds of Old, which is the only work i've actually basically abandoned, will be finished as some point. I shouldn't realistically have posted that one when it wasn't outlined properly, but I do owe a few people chapters of that. I will update it this month, recovery willing.)
> 
> Sorry to be that person that fucked off out of the blue and left yall hanging. I will try my best to get you weekly updates, but forgive the quality of my work for now, things are hard atm. 
> 
> Did I mention I was sorry?
> 
> *Hides face. Sighs.*
> 
> Love yall. Stay sweet my karamels. 
> 
> (P.s No beta on this story. Forgive mistakes pls unless they are horrendous in which case drop a comment and I'll amend. Thanks.)
> 
> \--

  
Mon-El lay back into his couch, smiling. His chest felt warm, heartbeat steady. All his senses slowed down to a pleasant hum, calm and at ease. To be completely honest, it was a strangely new feeling – right now was probably the first time in a long while that he didn’t feel outrageously stressed.

All things considered, his afternoon coffee with Kara had gone pretty well – he hadn’t said anything embarrassing or stupid or insensitive, and she had been open and honest, free to speak her mind, as well as showing an easy playfulness with him. It was unexpected to encounter someone so genuine at first meeting. Kara had a way of being so open and effortless without even trying. She had shared so honestly about her struggles and past, and didn't seem ashamed to admit her life wasn’t all roses and fluffy animals. He liked that – there was no trying to impress or putting up a front. It was rare for people these days, when surrounded by fake bullshit and perfect Instagram pictures and smiling faces that were cordial and polite. But it was as if people were polite for the sake of _being polite,_ as if being well put together, happy, successful… was a social norm. One that should be adhered to at all times. To hell with actual struggles, unfiltered honesty, and sometimes actually going through shit. No one talks about their broken families, mental illness, or just casually running away to raise yourself because your parents died when you were young. Jeepers. Real talk, much?

Conversing and interacting with Kara… it was different. _She_ was different.

Mon-El picked up his phone, typing a quick message to thank Kara for their little meetup. Nothing fancy, just something quick and easy to keep the connection alive, and to chase away the lingering need to call her just to hear her voice again. He wanted to speak to her and continue their conversation – it was just so soothing and refreshing to be around her. But he had plenty of time for that soon... for now, best to take things slow.

 **Mon-El Luar**  
_> > Hey. It's Mon-El. Just wanted to say I had a really nice time talking with you today. Hope the rest of your day went alright. Say hi to Alex for me. :) <<_

He made quick work of it, his fingers flashing over the keys before Mon-El smiled again, pushing the send button with a small sigh. He let the phone fall to his chest, jumping suddenly when it vibrated against him, giving him the smallest fright. That was quick.

 **Kara Danvers**  
_> > I had a really nice time too :). Thanks for the coffee! <<_

Mon-El just stared at the words, looking over Kara's message. It was short and sweet and nothing to be excited about. And yet he was. It was a start, and he couldn’t believe he was even lucky enough to not only have this girls’ number, but had a real opportunity on his hands so long as he plucked up the courage to go for it. Now, he didn’t have to try come up with lame excuses to go into the post office or bump into Kara again at the store, (not that he’d entirely planned on doing that). If he wanted to ask Kara out, all he had to do was make an easy call and set something up. It seemed like his chances of rejection had gone way down too, now that he’d spend a little time with her. She had even admitted thinking that he was cute! Not the hugest compliment in the world, but he would totally take it. Mon-El found it strangely thrilling, that there was this opportunity right in front of him and all he had to do was take it. All he had to do was try. Still, he didn’t want to come across too keen and waiting a day seemed appropriate. A strange surge of energy was washing through him – excitement, he realized. He was actually excited about getting to know someone. To see her again.

Jumping up off the couch, it seemed paramount that he do something with this newfound energy rather than waste it – and since he had the rest of the afternoon in front of him, taking his kayak for a spin on the lake suddenly seemed like a good idea. There were sights to see and a beautiful landscape to admire; plus, he needed a distraction from Kara. He didn’t want to be that person who started long text conversations when he could see her in person, talk to her properly, and given he’d already seen her today, he feared he might come on a little strong if he didn’t hold back at least a little bit. Thing was, she’d captivated him already. He had so many questions, so much to learn about her. One conversation was far too few.

But more of that later. For now, he’d go out and relax while enjoying some scenery.

*

There was something so refreshing about spending time alone. Mon-El dipped his paddle in the water gently, listening to the faint slosh as it cut through the surface. The expanse in front of him was glassy and still, his wake only making a slight rippled path as he glided across the lake out towards open water. It felt small down in the valley, surrounded by distant towering mountains and weirdly shaped rocks. The trees lining the hills seemed somehow older – like they held secrets of distant ancestors, lingering shadows of long-forgotten ways of life. The sky was aloof, the setting so remote a bubble seemed to encase the landscape, keeping its undomesticated beauty separate from the rest of the population. It was like a strange dream. Untouched by a modern world.

Mon-El continued to paddle out across the lake, taking in the sights and sounds. He’d never really noticed just how loud cicadas were before; though the rest of the world was silent, the bombarding ‘zizz’ coming from distant trees at the water’s edge were constantly reverberating through the air, echoing out into the vast space surrounding him. The sounds carried out across the water, seeming to come from all directions at once in a blinding chatter of noise. Not that the sounds bothered him, not at all - more so, they just reminded him of forgotten summers and vague memories. Mon-El and Lena used to race their kayaks across the lake often when they were children, staying out until the sun went down. They’d sometimes hop in the water and turn their vessels upside down, using them as platforms to jump off until they grew tired and then climbed up on them to simply lay back and enjoy the sun. It was saddening, in that nostalgic kind of way, that the both of them had grown up. Lena worked full time for the NYPD, while he worked somewhere between full-time and all-the-time for Daxam, and they’d both moved out of home. With a family of three independent workaholic types, there was never any reason to holiday together now that they had separate lives. He had his job, Lena had her fiance, and their mother had her own issues going on. It was no surprise that the responsibility to sell the lake house had eventually fallen to him. As beautiful as some of the memories were, now, sliding across the lake all by himself, he remembered why his family was opposed to coming here. There were just too many memories. Though barely recognisable, they came back in an instant just purely by the environment… how it enlivened his senses and flooded his brain. Perhaps it was easier to just leave the past in the past – to leave it untouched and happy. Now that things had changed, it was better off leaving the laughter of childhood and recollections of a happy family where they belonged.

Mon-El sighed, grinding his teeth together. A sudden wash of aggression struck his chest, unexpectedly twisting deep into his ribs. Digging his paddle harder into the water, he pulled back with brutal force and began to accelerate, exerting unrestrained power until he was careening across the top of the water. His arms pulsed in time with the slight twisting of his torso, using a violent kind of strength to push himself faster and faster out into the open water, while the fluttering of his pulse rapidly increased to a throb. He wasn’t sure why he felt this way – a vague kind of vexation in his blood. He tried to get away from it, leave it in his wake while forcing his muscles to propel him forward. He still had pretty impressive control, muscle memory combined with adult strength that allowed him a fierce sprint across the lake. But he couldn't get away from the pains in his gut. Of course he couldn't, not when they originated somewhere in the depths of _himself._

He was panting by the time he stopped, letting himself and the vessel supporting him coast across the clear expanse until he glided to a stop. He huffed, setting his paddle across his lap – just waiting. Breathing. Silently grieving for what could have been...

Mon-El leaned over the side of his kayak to stare at the vacant surface of the lake. He was met with his own reflection; adult male, stubbled jaw, lost eyes. It was a sight he was all too familiar with, and yet, at times like this, he hated his reflection. His hair was his mother’s, but his eyes – they belonged to someone else. Someone not worthy of a family. Someone who had left him.

 

*

 

Kara was all but skipping in the doorway when she arrived home, clutching her phone and opening the door with a smile. The smell of something gorgeous already cooking on the stove brought her mood up even more, filling her senses with eager anticipation. YES. Foooood!

Kara beamed and dropped her bag near the couch, kicking her shoes off as she went. “Ohhhkay, why does it smell amazing in here? Did anyone ever tell you that you are the best sister in the entire world?!” She tossed their mail on the table that she’d brought home from work, bills probably, but that thought didn’t even seem to bother her at the moment, completely certain that Alex was an angelic being sent to feed her hungry little self.

“Hey, K-bear. Thought you could use the early dinner.” Alex turned around to greet her, before nodding towards cabinets. "Want to grab us some plates?"

“Absolutely,” She smiled, pacing towards the kitchen and getting out some plates and utensils, before also pulling the fridge open for two beers.

"You’re in a good mood...”

Kara ignored the comment on her good mood for now, knowing Alex would probably tease her for being so thrilled about having coffee with Mon-El. Still, she probably wouldn’t last that long before caving and telling her anyway – she did tell her sister basically everything. “Eh. I guess,” she shrugged. "Drink?” Kara waved one of the bottles in the air slightly, met with a pleased look from her sister.

“Oh, good idea. Thanks." Alex outstretched her hand for the offered drink, pulling it towards herself before bringing it up to her mouth and yanking the cap off with her teeth.

“Hey! You're not supposed to do that.”

Alex just gave a stubborn look of nonchalance and chucked back some of her drink, turning back to the stove to stir their dinner.

“I went on a date today,” Kara said suddenly. _Great. Two seconds._ She lasted _two seconds._ “...Well, not a real date. A sort of date, it was just coffee...”

“Oh?” Alex spun around at that, grinning way to mischievously for Kara’s liking. “That explains the bright chipper mood. Who would have thought? Little Miss Kara playing the field…”

“Hey!”

“Come on K-bear, when was the last time you went on a _date…_ ” She teased.

“It wasn’t a date!”

“Okay. Coffee. With a guy. My guess… the same guy you think is attractive and nice and smells good.”

“I didn’t say he smelled good! I said he smelled like cinnamon!” Kara whined. “And black coffee…” She muttered under her breath.

Alex broke out into sudden laughter, dropping the wooden spoon into the pan so that she could hold herself together. “Please tell me you hear yourself!” She was struggling to contain more teasing jabs. “Very specific, very weird, and totally hilarious. But as I predicted… I was right and it’s totally him, isn’t it?"

Kara rolled her eyes and took the bottle opener out of the drawer next to her, working the cap off her own beer so that she could have a drink. She made a point of taking her time before admitting the truth. “Fine. It was him. And he maybe smells nice. But I didn’t say that originally…”

“But you DID stalk him.” Alex made her point. “So, how did you go from... checking him out, to getting coffee? That was quick.”

“Oh, I bumped into him at the store last night. When I was getting the milk and coffee and other shit after dealing with a horrendously judgmental Elsie at work which made me mad and then I snapped at him accidentally but he didn’t mind and he wanted to buy me coffee but I wouldn’t let him so he asked me if he could buy me one at the cafe instead–”

“–Wooahh. Slow DOWN. I cannot even understand you,” Alex chuckled.

"Right. Just. I saw him at the store.” Kara took another swig of her beer, mentally chastising herself for always letting her mouth run away with too many words. She made an effort to slow everything down, take her time, and just breathe. It was difficult to do sometimes in the evenings, feeling like she was permanently in a hurry. Like if she had to rush through everything before ‘POOF!’ wolf-dog Kara.

“And he asked you out?”

“What?”

“He. Asked. You. Out.” Alex drew out her words with a roll of her eyes.

“Oh. Yeah, I guess.”

“Well, that’s great! What’d you talk about? What does he do?”

“Uhm. I dunno…”

“Kara…”

“We talked, we did! I promise I’m not making him up.”

“Okay…? But you didn’t find out what he does for a living? What did you talk about?” Alex turned the stove off and gave their dinner a few more stirs while also paying attention to their conversation.

“I found out that… he’s here having a holiday. But also thinking about selling his lake house. So that’s why he’s in town. I just… we talked about me. Mostly. And you.” Kara fiddled with her drink again, before taking another swig.

“Me?”

“Just that you’re my sister. So you came up.” She shrugged.

"Please tell me you didn’t put the pity party Danvers story on him on your FIRST date.”

"It wasn't a date!"

"Kara..."

“Fine. I... Maybe... did? Is that bad?” She cringed, feeling her lack of dating life laughing at her behind her back. It wasn’t her fault she couldn’t socialise to save her life. “He didn’t mind! He was actually… really nice about it. He’s quite… understanding and gentle. To talk to. When he’s not being playful and smug.”

Alex sighed, giving her best ‘what-am-I-to-do-with-you’ look in Kara’s general direction. “Righto. Well, dinner’s ready, so hold that thought… Let’s uh... sit down and chat.”

“Only if you promise not to be a jerk,” Kara grumbled.

“Promise. I’ll even give you a few pointers.”

"But you don’t date either, Alex...”

“Point noted. But I’m still the oldest, which means I’m also the wisest.” She gave Kara a little wink, not really being serious.

“Do you think I should call him?”

“No! He’s gotta call you.” Alex placed the spoon in the pan while lifting a plate. "Two scoops or one?”

“Two. Obviously.”

"Right. Well… you can tell me all about your new crush and I’ll help you out best I can. But first, where did my beer get to?”

 

*

 

Kara finished up the dishes after their dinner, having talked about Mon-El and also Maggie for most of their meal. Both of the sisters didn’t really know what the hell they were doing in their own lives, but could offer a unique non-emotional perspective on each others, which kind of made it easier to see things clearly. “So what do you think?” Kara finally asked for the final verdict.

“I haven’t met him, Kara. So I can’t make that call. But from what you tell me, he seems like he deserves a chance. I mean, you gave him your number – very smooth by the way – so ball’s in his court.” Alex shrugged.

“He’s not going to be here very long. That’s the only thing…”

“Well, then call it practice. At very least, you get to make a new friend, spend some quality time getting to know someone and finding out more about yourself in the process. Human interaction is good for you, Sis.”

“I know… it’s just…”

“Hard. I know. It’s different. But you’ve adjusted pretty well, I think.”

“That’s because I have you. And you don’t care about my superpower.”

“True. So are you going to go see him tonight?” 

“What?”

“Don’t play dumb. You know exactly what I’m asking.” Alex plopped herself down on the couch before turning the TV on, mindlessly flicking through the channels. 

“I hadn’t really thought about it…" Kara mumbled.

“Sure you hadn’t...” Alex called over her shoulder, before settling on some drama-action thing. Like she was going to believe her sister WASN'T gonna use her superpowers to go stalk her new crush...

 

*

 

  
Mon-El watched the sunset over the mountains before finally deciding to return home. It was dusk, just enough light to make do as he paddled towards the shore. He was now exhausted, which was kinda the point of spending all afternoon out on the lake, exert all of his energy and make sure he didn’t get twitchy wanting to work, or stay awake all night thinking in circles. The low pull from his shoulders down his back was starting to make itself known, a niggling ache stretching from his trapezius muscles down towards his shoulder blades. At least he had some cold pizza in the fridge, just enough to have a nibble on for dinner and sit on the couch with a glass of wine.

There rhythmic slosh of his paddle matched his regulated breathing as he neared the shore, watching the stones come into view easily in the low light. A hot shower was definitely in the cards, the evening cold already starting to make him uncomfortable. Lifting his eyes from the lake, his heart rate spiked at what was now becoming an astonishingly familiar sight.

She was waiting for him. At the shoreline. Well, not waiting for him. Her back was turned slightly and she wasn’t looking at the water. She appeared to be inspecting his shoes that he’d left on the bank. This was definitely getting weird now.

He paddled as close to the shore as possible, thinking the white wolf would probably run off as soon as his kayak got close enough to the edge of the lake. But instead, he had to stop a few meters off the stones. He couldn’t exactly park up and get out onto land if it was the same space she was occupying. Territorial animals couldn’t be trusted, and he certainly wasn’t about to try his luck. He would have to wait for her to leave.

"Hey, girl. Wasn’t sure if I’d see you again.” He spoke quietly into the dusk, watching as two bright ears perked up at his voice. “Oh, you’re actually listening to me….” He chuckled and moved his paddle to balance across his lap. It took a few moments for the wolf to follow the sounds and actually turn to him, though he could see easily from the slight twitches of her ears that she’d sensed his presence a while ago.

“Well, Good evening to you, mysterious creature of Linden Valley. How do you do,” he joked. What else was he to do except make useless conversation at the animal? He could attempt to scare it away, shout at it or something, but it was too beautiful for that. He didn’t really want it to leave him alone, though it presented a considerable inconvenience to getting off the lake.

“How was your day, beautiful one? Rip any animals to shreds today?”

Mon-El watched at the wolf swished its tail once, a fierce stroke, but not like a friendly pup would. He didn’t know what that meant, but the thing did not look pleased.

“Do you live here or something? I mean, obviously. But like... If I’m encroaching on your space, sorry about that. I kinda live up there… well, that’s where I’m staying...” He nodded up through the silhouetted trees towards his lakehouse. "I’ll be out of your hair in a few weeks though...”

The wolf sat down, much to Mon-El’s annoyance.

“Well brilliant. What do you expect me to do now?” He grumbled. This was not how he pictured the rest of his evening, stuck out in the cold as the light continued to drop towards darkness.

“Fine. Let’s chat. Hopefully, you’ll get bored soon enough and let me go get some dinner, yeah?”

The wolf just licked at its paws, seeming to be completely ignoring him, yet OBVIOUSLY in the way of him getting out of his little plastic boat and up to his house.

“You ever just feel like shit, so you stay out all afternoon trying to just… not exist?” He asked her. There was nothing much else he could do but make conversation until it wandered off and let him off the lake. “Though I DID have an awesome coffee date with Kara today. The girl I mentioned to you before. Not that it was a proper date or anything. But we had a really nice conversation. She’s really open and lovely. I’d like to take her on a proper date sometime. What do you think?”

He sighed as the animal continued to ignore him, though he watched its fluffy ears in fascination, how they would twitch every time he spoke. She was listening to him, whether to keep an ear out for sudden threats and stay aware of his presence, or just an intrinsic reaction to sound that her body made, he didn’t know. Still, it was fun to watch.

“You’re very pretty. The other wolves around here must be quite taken with you.”

BOTH ears perked up at that, causing Mon-El to chuckle.

“So how come you’re sitting here, huh? Waiting for me or... were you after a snack?” He spoke calmly to it again, wondering how on earth he would get back to the house at this rate. “I’ve got some leftover pizza if you'd like some. But uhhh… I'd have to get out of this little boat I’ve got here. And I’m not sure how I feel about that with you sitting there with those big teeth of yours.”

He was met with silence as a cool breeze floated in, staring at this stunning animal that was still just SITTING there on the shoreline, not quite facing him, but definitely aware of his presence. It didn’t wag its tail or shift on its paws… it had become quite still in the last few minutes, like a glowing statue that didn’t quite seem real if he looked at it too long.

Mon-El let out a loud sigh. He was stuck. Brilliantly, stupidly stuck. There was nothing he could do but wait…

 

**


	7. Conversations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates are slow. Recovery is slow. Chapters are a little shorter for now. But Karamel is still life haha so... here's a wee update. No beta. No edits. I've got some fun stuff planned for later chapters but still in the initial set up stages. This fic might accidentally be longer than I planned (planned? I didn't plan. That's why these things end up so long. Sigh.)
> 
> Drop a comment if you've got the time. Love hearing what you think or what you like (or don't like.) Can also message me on tumblr @sweet-karamel if you wanna. I've unlocked my blog again for a bit to see how I cope. Still not watching S3 tho so keep those spoilers away from me. Thnx.
> 
> Peace and Love. Stay sweet my Karamels.

 

 

Kara lay down, enjoying Mon-El's company in the low light while she listened to him talk freely to the open air. She tried to appear mostly normal but remain unthreatening, though she couldn't quite understand why he was being such a wuss. He was still sitting in his kayak, just a few meters offshore with his paddle sitting across his lap while he made one-way conversation. She had initially been waiting for him to get up and just go on his merry way, maybe gain a bit of his trust by showing up again, wandering around his place here and there... But it was kind of nice to listen to some of his inner thoughts – things she perhaps wouldn’t usually get to hear. Was that bad? Would he usually talk this openly? Still, she was INSANELY curious, and it wasn’t like Mon-El was sharing anything overly personal; just commenting on the weather and how he was enjoying the scenery. He mentioned the rare birds he had spotted, and something about a friend called Winn.

Kara continued to comb out any knots in her long fur with her teeth while she listened, making the most of the low light between dusk and darkness. Rao, was that weird? Using her teeth to comb herself? She’d never really considered it before… It was just a habit she’d taken a liking to and it never crossed her mind that it would be weird. She took a look down at her paws, and then realized, who was she kidding? She had PAWS. So did it really even matter?

"I thought about him today…” Mon-El continued, interrupting her thoughts by changing subjects rather rapidly. "The one person I try to never think about. I blame the scenery, to be honest. We used to come here as a family. I guess that’s why you’ve never seen me around before invading your spot, we haven’t really been back since then…” Mon-El seemed to be in his own little world, contemplating and recalling. “Why do you think that some people turn out to be… I dunno.. chronic arseholes?” He sighed, beginning to grumble instead of talking calmly. “You know…treating the people they are meant to love and protect like shit? It never starts out that way. At least, it never seems like it. We were pretty happy here...”

Kara listened to Mon-El sigh in defeat, her heart thudding in a turbulent motion as he continued.

“I mean, I’ve met a lot of people in my time. Interesting, remarkable, entirely unique individuals. That’s half the fun, you know? Just how much you can learn and experience meeting someone and seeing the world from a completely different perspective. Most people are actually really great. I’ve learned to give people the benefit of the doubt. But it’s always the ones I want to appreciate the most that end up being the arseholes.”

Kara tensed, suddenly feeling like she was listening to something too revealing and personal, something she wasn’t supposed to be hearing. Mon-El had no idea anyone even _was_ listening. But now that he was opening up, she really wanted to know more about him. He was just… sharing so honestly his thoughts. How could she get up and leave when he was pouring his heart out?

  
"It just sucks… thinking back to how it was. When we used to spend time here together. I barely remember a thing, the details aren’t there, but I remember loving every minute. I remember how it FELT. Honestly, I thought I was over it and I have been for a long time. Fuck, I’m a hardworking, independent adult, not a disappointed _child_. But today kinda proved I’m not over it, not completely anyway.”

Kara wasn’t exactly sure what he was talking about, but from what she could gather, something must have gone wrong in his family too. Why would they stop spending time at their beautiful lake house for holidays? Who was he referring to when using the word arseholes? It was difficult to wrap her head around, and she probably shouldn’t have been staying to consider those questions. Kara thought he’d probably had enough of talking to her by the large huffing sound he had made, returning to silence for a few seconds. But Mon-El kept on talking.

"Sorry for being such a Debbie Downer. I’m usually pretty great company. It’s just baggage I guess. Memories. Not that you care. I’d probably just pack up and leave to be honest, if it wasn’t for Kara…"

It took all her strength not to sit up at that, her body responding to her name and becoming alert. What about her?

“I wasn't supposed to meet a nice girl here. I just broke up with my girlfriend a month ago. Seriously, I even told myself specifically that this time off was for me and only me. Alone time. Self-development sort of stuff. But she’s just so…” He trailed off, and Kara found herself desperately hoping that he would continue. Mon-El let out a breath, like he was unable to gather his thoughts.

“I know I just met her. But. There’s something about her. Something pure and beautiful and honest. It’s kind of mysterious too… I think that’s maybe why I’m so taken with her. She has this really gentle nature, but at the same time, got this… this _grit_. It’s a fascinating combination. She’s calm and lovely. But hearing her backstory today, I kinda couldn’t believe someone could have such strength and resilience.”

Wow. Okay. That was. ???! ...What?

“She was effortless to talk to. I could have sat in that cafe all day,” he mused. “Though, it was kinda nice when she left too… not like... not the leaving bit. Just because when she got up…” He chuckled, and Kara couldn’t understand what was so funny. “...after she waved goodbye, don’t hate me for this… but. She was wearing these tight jeans, that hugged her ass PERFECTLY. Holy hell.“ Mon-El laughed to himself again and Kara could not believe what she was hearing! She felt both awkward, a bit uncomfortable, and totally elated all at once. He thought she was hot? Really?

“Anyway. I’ve decided I’m not so much of a fan of being here as I’d like. All the memories it brings up aren’t that great. But I’d love to ask Kara out on a proper date. She’s gorgeous.”

She felt her heart swell, suddenly excited that he’d enjoyed her company just as much as she had his. Maybe even more, by the sounds of things.

“Interesting woman. I usually enjoy getting to know people, but it’s different. I’d REALLY like to get to know her a bit better. What do you think?”

Kara blinked, unable to express her feelings on the matter. Instead, she chose to wag her tail juuuust a little – just enough to get away with it, and seem like it might merely be a coincidence that she was doing it and not actually responding to the question.

He laughed, and she knew then that’s he’d found the ‘co-incidence’ to be amusing.

“Come on girl, how long are you gonna sit there? It’s getting cold! And dark!” Mon-El whined. Oh, it was cold? She hadn’t thought about that. She was so intrigued by all his talking she’d not bothered to consider that he might be uncomfortable. Inconvenienced, sure, but not cold. Duh! Her coat kept her so warm she’d not thought about it. And her eyes had been adjusting to the light, so she hadn't particularly noticed it was so near dark. She stood up, stretching out her muscles to try appear natural.

“Oh good. Finally.” He anticipated her movements, waiting for her to leave. “Go on…” He encouraged.

Hmmmm. But what about Pizza? How would she get him to give her some of that?

“I’ll make you a deal. You run along, and I’ll leave some pizza out for you on the deck tonight.”

Yessssss! Absolute. Yes.

“It was nice talking to you, by the way. I'd just like to warm up, have some food, and get some rest now, that's all. Maybe I’ll see you round…”

Kara didn’t respond, instead turned and without a second thought bolted up into the trees, leaving Mon-El to drag his kayak up onto the bank and wander inside to get warm.

 

*

  
Mon-El felt lighter when he woke. Maybe he just needed to get a few things off his chest. Without his best buddy Winn to talk to, it was nice to feel like someone was actually listening to him while chatting away to the strange Wolf-ess that happened to be wandering around his place a lot. He’d thought about giving Lena a call, but didn’t want to bother her while she was at work, and time zones were a little weird too, making it difficult to chat unless he wanted to do it at four in the morning. Shuffling from his bed, he threw the comforter up quickly and tossed the pillows vaguely where they were meant to be before moving to the kitchen. It was probably his favourite part of the day, the quiet and promise of a full day ahead, his morning ritual of brewing coffee and flicking through some news on his phone. He groaned, seeing stories of tragedy and injustice, deciding to forgo the news for today. Perhaps it was selfish, to pull back and live in his little holiday world… but it was easy to disconnect and turn a blind eye out here. Was that awful for him to do? Enjoy a bit of time away from considering the heartbreaks and horrors of existence?

Letting his mind ease, Mon-El walked to the worn cupboards and pulled out a mug. Unsurprisingly, it was a little dirty and needed a rinse before he could use it. They let plenty of people stay at their lake house over the years – family members… friends… But the place wasn’t particularly clean and tidy without proper upkeep and regular attendance to it. Without repairs, parts of the place were totally falling apart, and as he just found out, the hot water tap in the sink didn’t work. He opted to put a kettle on the stove to boil instead, delaying his coffee a bit longer, but he had all the time in the world now, so it didn’t really matter.

He left the mug discarded on the bench to walk over to the front door, hoping to see how the weather was going to play out over the day. Opening the door out onto the deck, a fresh aroma of pines and earth that he’d never noticed before made it’s way to his senses, filling him with a sense of relief. It was a beautiful morning – clear and bright. Perhaps he could go on one of the bush walks today, or travel up to the river reserve he vaguely remembered being a short drive from here. Which direction was it again? Hmmmm, perhaps he’d ask Kara.

_Kara._

Another thing he could do today. Definitely. He had said he would call, and he had every intention of keeping his word on that. Dinner? A few drinks at the local bar? No, it was too loud at the bar, he wanted to talk to her, _really_ talk to her, so perhaps the bar could wait. Dinner was a better idea. But was that too intense? Ugh, whatever, he was over thinking it. Spending time together was the main thing, and it didn’t really matter what the setting was so long as he got to see her again. They could sit all day in that deserted post office for all he cared, watching her play with her reading glasses and fiddle with her hair...

He smiled as he turned back to walk inside, suddenly realizing a key detail from the previous night was missing from the deck. The pizza. He’d left it on a plate outside, (weird, but whatever. What was he gonna do just chuck it on the ground?) and it was now… gloriously empty. Sure, any animal in the area could have wandered up and stolen it, so maybe it wasn’t who he’d hoped. But he had a feeling he knew who took it. Maybe… just maybe… he was making a new friend.

Mon-El chuckled as he picked up the plate and wandered back to the kitchen, dumping it in the sink before turning to his hot water on the stove. He took out the fresh bag of grinds, Kara’s choosing, and began to prepare his morning cup. Today was going to be a good day.

 

*

  
Kara crossed and uncrossed her legs, flicked through magazines and even paced around the gift cards section while playing candy crush on her phone. Nothing was working. She was _restless_. How was she supposed to be a calm, functioning human being when she was no doubt… developing a crush? Gods, she was 24, not in bloody school, but hands down that was exactly what this was. It didn’t take a genius to work out that she already liked Mon-El. Why wouldn’t she? A charming, handsome young man just walks in out of nowhere and starts calling her beautiful?! And not to get her attention or anything from her in return. He didn’t even know she’d heard him say all those lovely things about her. Granted, one of those things was slightly inappropriate, but she had literally thought the EXACT same thing when she’d seen his behind from well… behind. So…

Ugh. Fuck it. Gorgeous young men didn’t just drop from the sky. What was she thinking?

No. It was just because he was really nice, and astoundingly attractive. She shouldn’t get involved. Surely it was just a mixture of loneliness, denied opportunities for social interaction, and being way too long (EVER) without fully satisfying her hormonal little ass. (The one Mon-El thought looked good.)

 _Shit. Stop it, Kara. He’s not thhhhaaat interested._ Kara began to argue with herself all the logical reasons why thinking about and crushing on Mon-El was a bad idea. He was on holiday. Nothing could actually happen. He’d go back to his life, and she would stay in her outcast little world on the edge of nowhere. She couldn’t have dinner with him, no matter how badly she wanted to (not unless it was summer, which it wasn’t) and he could never really know the truth about her. She was destined to be alone.

Continuing to walk around through a little section of the post office, she chased her tail as her thoughts continued. There was no way that–

Kara’s phone rang loudly on her desk, causing her to dash over to the counter and grab it, tapping the answer button quickly just in time to see the name on the screen.

_Oh gosh._

“Hey Kara, it’s Mon-El. How’s it going?”

Kara opened her mouth. And then closed it again. _Speak. Into. The. Phone. Dammit!_ “Uhh...Good. Slow day today.”

“Yeah? What are you doing to fill up your time?”

“Pffff. Take a guess."

“Mmmmm, reading your book and eating your lunch at your desk?”

That was actually a good guess, and what she would usually be doing if she wasn’t pacing around like a mad animal. “Wow. I’m that boring and predictable?”

Kara heard Mon-El chuckle into the phone. “Well hey, it’s better than being stressed and having angry clients breath down your neck all day every day.”

“That’s what you escaped from, huh?” She began more absorbed in the call hearing him speak, his voice the same calm manner in which she’d listened to last night.

“Yeah. I’m in media. So deadlines are a bitch. People have a habit of submitting all of their shit last minute and then wondering what’s taking us so long. Like, _hello,_ maybe if you bothered to give us your outline and brief when we ASKED FOR IT, we wouldn’t have to work till 3 am for six nights in a row. Don’t bitch at me when you had 2 months to get me your images and then wonder why you haven’t got a proof back in 24 hours.”

Kara laughed. “Wow, sounds a bit stressful...”

“A bit. Sorry for venting. I don’t know where that came from...”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind. Sometimes it’s nice to just get something off your chest.”

“Yeah. I suppose so…” Mon-El trailed off, sounding like he was caught up in a distracted thought. "Anyway. That’s not why I called…”

“Oh? Whats up?” Kara plopped herself down on her chair, switching the phone to the other side to be more comfortable as she leaned back to listen.

“Uhhh. Well, I was hoping... Since I didn’t get to talk to you for very long yesterday… that uhm.. maybe we could grab a bite to eat this evening. If you wanted to...”

All thoughts of logic and previous self-chastising completely evaporated, hearing that Mon-El was asking her out for dinner. The thought of spending more time with him was near intoxicating. She was just about to agree, when she realized what that meant. _Dinner._ “Aw, Mon-El... That sounds really nice. But I can’t.”

“Okay, that’s chill.”

She could hear him shrugging through the phone, interpreting her words as rejection and taking them graciously. “No, no, like, I totally would. It’s just… Me and Alex. Dinner is kind of the only time we get to spend together during the week. She works a lot. It’s just kind of our thing.” _Ugh. Real lame excuse, Kara._ She knew she would ditch Alex in a heartbeat if it meant she could have dinner with Mon-El.

“Oh, okay. That makes sense. Family time.”

“I’d love to hang out again though. Honest. We could do breakfast? Before work? Or coffee again, I do owe you for the last time…” She remained hopeful, while also trying to contain the rapid heartbeat that was drowning out her ability to think as it reached the point of ringing in her ears.

“You don’t owe me anything, Kara. I really enjoyed our coffee.”

There was a way about how he spoke, that made it sound like he was smiling. It calmed her down a little. “I did too.” Her fingers started to tingle slightly and her chest expanded, remembering just how effortless it was to sit in the cafe with him. 

"Well, how about this. You pick a place, and... let me buy you breakfast? We can have a longer conversation and hopefully coffee will still be involved. Best of both worlds.”

“Sounds perfect.” She breathed. Really there were only two options – breakfast at the cafe, or going down to the diner a few streets over. Either way, it didn’t matter to her where they went, so long as she got to spend time with him again. He could come into the post office and just laze around on a chair next to her for all she cared, so long as she got to have a decent conversation with him.

“What time’s work?”

“9:30.”

“Great. So… meet you tomorrow at say… 8 O’clock?”

“The Diner. They have great pancakes. Coffee isn’t as good as yesterday’s, but I think maple syrup and bacon make up for that…”

“Well alright then. Breakfast at 8. You have a good day, Kara. I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

“Likewise.” She smiled. Ugh. This was. A preposterously good feeling.

“Don’t work too hard…”

“Shut up.” She laughed.

“Catch you tomorrow."

“Bye Mon-El."

 

**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone have a little chuckle at the SG reference? I did. Tell me you spotted it.


	8. Pancakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow updates, I know, sorry. And unedited because it's over 6k and who can be bothered trying to refine something that long? Lol. I miss having a beta but ah well. Let me know if you're a fan of the playful banter. Peace and love. x

\-----

Kara tiptoed upstairs and held her breath as she crept into her sister’s room, opening the wardrobe to go through some of the clothes that she would occasionally steal from Alex. Thankfully, the brunette in question was fast asleep, and so long as she didn’t wake the boss of the household she might actually get to keep all her limbs. Kara didn’t actually have a room in their house – the master bedroom belonged to Alex, and since they’d grown up without a huge income, the one bedroom one bathroom cabin they shared was the best they could do. Technically, she didn’t need a bed to sleep in, since her place of sleep was either outside in her hammock or curled up on the couch. Usually, she left some of her normal clothes out over the back of a chair, in her hammock pre-morning-run, or in a pile on the armrest of the couch a day ahead of when she needed them. While the two sisters shared other spaces to keep their things, Kara didn’t need much to entertain herself as she spent most of her time outdoors. This morning though, she risked waking Alex, wanting to wear something other than jeans and a plain shirt and knowing her sister had a few jackets and nice tops that would fit her. 

“I can hear you,  _you little shit._ ” Kara jumped as she somehow still managed to disturb the sleeping form wrapped up in bed. 

“Sorry, I was trying to be quiet.”

“Why didn’t you get your things out last night?” Alex grumbled into her pillow, shuffling about and making herself comfortable again. 

“Sorry. I wanted something different today. My usual clothes aren’t nice enough for my date.”

“Your date?” Alex sat up in bed suddenly, rubbing her eyes and trying to comprehend what her sister was saying.

“Mon-El is taking me for breakfast at the diner this morning. I was going to steal one of your nice tops.” Kara grasped a large section of clothing that was mostly her sister’s normal work clothes, and slid them on their hangers out of the way so that she could reach some of the more infrequently used items. 

“Ooooohhh. Another outing so soon? Go you. There’s a red one I never wear in the back.”She yawned, wiping a small splotch of drool off the side of her chin. "Or a dress from an engagement party that I’m  _never_  going to wear again if you wanted that...”

“I saw that already,” Kara spoke quickly and quietly, rummaging around trying to find something. “But I think a tight little-black-dress is a bit much for breakfast.”

“True. Save that for a nice outing at the bar,” Alex pulled the comforter up to her chin to lean on her knees. "I’ll even sneak you a few drinks on the house. Might be nice of you to get out more...”

“Do you mind if I take this navy one?” Kara ignored her sister’s comment to concentrate on getting ready, pulling out a sheer blouse that seemed to float. It was mesmerizing in the way it moved, and would suit nicely with jeans – still casual enough to wear to work without trying too hard or looking super dolled up, but it was a more delicate and beautiful than what she would usually wear.

“Sure,” Alex yawned again. "I think that still has the tags on it. The sleeves annoy me.”

Kara ran her hand down the garment and saw that they sleeves billowed out wide to drape around the wrists – it wasn’t something she would imagine her sister actually buying, but perhaps her lapse in judgement was a good thing. Alex kept everything, even the stuff she ended up not using. The garment  _was_  something suitable for a night shift at the bar – probably why she got it in the first place – but it was clearly still brand new. Kara stared at it, wondering if it would look okay on her. She wasn’t used to wearing nice things, and the two sisters never really went shopping since it was too far away to bother with the commute unless they really  _really_  wanted to. Gorgeous clothes weren’t really that practical for hiking, and were unnecessary for her job. A plain shirt was usually just fine. 

“Sorry, but I put your favourite jeans in the wash…” 

“Alex?!” Kara spun around, panicking that her current pair were dirty from yesterday. 

“Oh, stop your whining, it’s too early in the morning for such heightened noises. You can wear the ones you already have on, which you  _somehow_  managed to get dirty after wearing them ONCE. Or…. your new ones.” Alex grinned smugly and then tilted her head to the side, working out a random kink that had somehow gotten there in the middle of the night.

“New ones?” 

“Yeah. I got them for you when I was out with Maggie the other day. Your favourite pair has holes in them and are faded.”

“But they are my  _favourite_ , Alex.”

“I didn’t throw them out! Like I should have, just by the way. But they are still in the machine and are wet. The bag of stuff I got is on my desk.” Nodding over in the general direction of her small wooden desk, Alex watched her sister’s eyes brighten. Kara skipped over the other side of the room to rifle through a plastic bag of shopping items that hadn’t been put away yet, pulling out random things. 

“You got lipstick? Since when do you wear lipstick?” Kara pulled the cap off to see the colour – dark plum/brown, which was actually sorta nice. Still, Alex didn’t wear lipstick?

“I dunno. Just felt like it.” Alex shrugged. 

“Does Maggie like it when you wear it?” She teased.

“Fuck off.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She chuckled and kept going through Alex’s things. 

“Don’t be such an arse.”

“I’m not! I was just… never mind,” she rolled her eyes. It was too early in the morning for harmless banter,  _apparently._  

Reaching the bottom of the bag, Kara pulled out a nice new pair of jeans – white, soft, and most likely skin tight – but she trusted her sister’s judgement for size, and at least they weren’t dirty like the ones currently had on. Between yesterday and now she had carelessly got the hems wet when she stumbled in a puddle, and there were also small streaks of dirt all the way down the back of the legs, probably from sitting down next to the lake while she tried to snap pictures of dragonflies after work. “ _White_  jeans?” Not the most typical purchase, but they were actually really nice. 

“Hey, they are cool!” Alex defended. “But yeah, truth be told, they were hugely on sale. Probably because it’s not that easy to pull off white jeans. But you’ve got the legs for it, and I figured it was something. I can take them back if you’re not appreciativ–“

“–No, no, they are awesome! Thank you! I was just surprised.” Kara rushed to thank her sister for getting her something – she didn’t want to sound like she was being unthankful. 

“Yeah, I’m starting to realize the colour choice isn’t very practical for someone who plays in the mud so often.” Alex rolled her eyes and flopped back down to lay on her back cuddled up under the comforter. 

“Hey!”

“Well. It’s true.”

"Do you have any shoes I could borrow?” Kara changed the subject backed to her date outfit, thinking about her usual footwear. Her leather boots or ballerina flats were usually her go to for work, but it might be nice to switch it up, just to make it look like she’d put an effort in. 

“Do you even  _know_  how to walk in heels, Kara?”

“Hey, I’m not completely useless...”

“Alright, just asking. Maybe take the black wedges. I mean, you don’t have to look that fancy for breakfast. Your boots will be fine, honestly.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. You want to be comfortable. Trust me, just pull your hair out instead of doing the messy ponytail thing and you’re good to go. Maybe wash it first though, I can see leaves in it.”

Kara dragged some of her hair in front of her face to inspect it, picking out a few twigs. “Dammit, those will be from last night,” she mumbled to herself. “I just want to make a good impression, that’s all. I know I don’t usually wear heels but....”

Alex rolled over to face her sister, becoming serious. “Look, Sis, I’m not sure if you know this yet, but you’re actually stunningly attractive. And that boy’s not going to be looking at your feet. Boots are fine."

“Huh?”

“ _Ugh_. You really don’t know do you?”

“What?”

“You don’t  _need_  to make an impression. You already  _did._  People don’t ask girls to hang out again if they didn’t enjoy it the first time. Just go to your stupid breakfast and enjoy it. Better to have a nice time than fuss about in uncomfortable shoes...”

“Oh.” Kara was taken aback but the sudden pep talk. "Are you sure?”

“Yes. He’d probably be put off if you suddenly changed the way you look anyway. Comes across as fake. He knows what you look like."

“I just thought it would be nice…”

“Do you care what he wears this morning?”

“No. I just want to see him.”

“Well, there you go. Now get out of my bedroom, I want to sleep.”

“Sorry. Thanks for getting me new jeans.” 

“Yeah well, I’ve been working double shifts so… it was fine. Just don’t expect it to happen often.” 

“Love you, Sis.” She draped her outfit over her arm and skipped over to the door.

“Yeah, yeah. Let me know how it goes…”

 

*

 

Kara fidgeted nervously with her phone. She was only seven minutes early, but seven minutes was a long time to wait unaccompanied in The Diner. She had put a lot more effort into her hair, drying and curling it properly, but after Alex gave her a little pep talk she went without lipstick or putting too much makeup on. Mon-El knew what she looked like anyway, so her sister was probably right that it would be weird to suddenly get all fancy just for breakfast. 

There were not a lot of people in this morning, probably thinking along the same lines as her that it was cheaper to just eat at home, though the smell of waffles and eggs was  _heavenly,_  and she felt a slight pang of regret that she didn’t come here more often. She missed treating herself to the occasional outing. Kara didn’t really go out for food, more so because it was a social activity that she didn’t take part in, and sitting alone to eat breakfast seemed kind of weird to her. Lifting her eyes across the space, she spotted an older couple in a booth in the corner – retired, probably – talking to each other while they sipped orange juice and laughed. Would she ever get that? Grow old with someone? It didn’t seem likely... 

A girl she recognised as Eve approached her table, and though she didn’t really  _know_  Eve, she did know immediately the girl was. The blonde looked a little worse for wear this particular morning – dark circles under her eyes and a strange bruise on her wrist, but her signature bright smile and vibrant step remained. Kara had seen her around here and there, but never attempted to befriend the bubbly blonde, thinking her stay in Linden Valley wasn’t going to be permanent. She didn’t really seem like the type of person that would live out here to be honest, if her parcels that came in the mail said anything about the kind of person she was…(expensive taste, lots of online shopping, and you know, just casually ordering Victoria’s Secret like it was no big deal. She seemed more like a city girl than anything.) It was hugely surprising to find she worked at The Diner now. How long was she going to be in town? 

“Morning!” Eve gave a mellow smile before making conversation."Sorry, it’s been so long, I’ve uhm… I’ve forgotten your name...”

“Kara.”

“Oh, that’s right. You’re Alex’s sister!”

“Yep, that’s me.” Everyone seemed to know Alex, but Kara was the quiet one that kept to herself. 

“What can I get you this morning, Kara?” Her hair bounced on her shoulders while she rocked forward and back on her feet, clearly someone with quite a bit of energy. 

“I’m uhm… I’m actually waiting for someone. Is that okay?”

“Sure. I’ll come back.” She smiled again and turned to leave.

“Wait… I’ll get a pot of coffee though. Please. I just don’t know what he wants for breakfast yet so I thought I’d decide soon.”

“He?” Eve’s eyes twinkled a little bit, curiosity written in the way she had an eyebrow raised. 

“Oh. Uhm. Yeah...”

“I wasn’t aware there were eligible males in Linden!” Eve laughed and Kara couldn’t help but smile. They were about the same age, so of course Eve would know that this wasn’t really the place for meeting twenty-something-year-old singles. 

“I’m as surprised as you are,” she chuckled. 

“Is he hot?”

“Yeah. A bit.” Kara felt herself blush, but it was kinda nice to be chatting with someone her own age. Why hadn't she ever hung out with Eve before? She seemed fun and like they would definitely get along. 

“Oh? How hot, though? Like… just a little bit... would settle for it just because there’s no one else? Or...”

That got a laugh out of Kara – joking about boys wasn’t something she got to do often. It was nice to know she wasn’t the only one who thought Linden didn’t have much in the way of options. “No no, like, I get what you mean,” she smiled knowingly. "But I don’t subject myself to social interaction for just anyone. Trust me. He’s…  _gorgeous_.” She didn’t mean to brag or anything, but Alex wasn’t really into guys, so didn’t get that excited when she saw someone worth drooling over. There was something freeing about having 'girls talk' with someone other than her sister, even though she technically she wasn’t even friends with Eve. Though perhaps, if she stopped being such a recluse, it would be nice to make a new friend... 

Eve grinned and motioned her head slightly to the space behind Kara suddenly. "You mean… like the guy standing right behind you listening?”

Kara’s eyes went wide as she immediately swung around in her chair, met with a smug smile and a sparkling pair of eyes looking down at her. 

 _Mon-El._  

“EVE!” Kara turned around again and made her embarrassment known with her complaint, swiftly throwing a napkin in the waitress’s direction. The cheeky little bitch!

The blonde just laughed heartily and gave a wink. “I’ll come back when you’re settled in. And I’ll bring you that pot of coffee in a sec.” Kara heard a giggle when Eve wandered away, like she hadn’t just made her look like a fool in front of her date. The stupid girl seemed preposterously pleased with herself. 

Rolling her eyes, Kara sucked it up and became aware of the (gorgeous) male walking into her line of view to join her properly at her table. He stood there for a few more moments with his hands in his pockets, watching Eve float her way into the kitchen, and then letting his eyes return to her own. A stupid grin was plastered on his face, and she wanted to hate it – the gleeful self-satisfied thing he did with his lips. But it did something to her insides, lighting them up spectacularly like fireflies in the summer. Ugh! Why was he just so darn cute?!

“Hey, Kara.” He sounded smug, like he often seemed to. His smirk did nothing to ease the slight sting of embarrassment, causing heat to rise in her cheeks again. 

“Hi.” Kara forced a polite greeting, trying to sound a bit apologetic. But instead, he just seemed amused. 

“Your friend has an interesting sense of humour…” Mon-El gleamed, looking way too pleased with her admission, making her roll her eyes again. 

“Don’t let it go to your head.” She ignored his laugh, picking up a menu to look at to distract herself and calm down a little instead. “Are you gonna sit?”

"Yes. Right. Of course.” Mon-El slid into the booth opposite her and took up a menu as well, not really sure where to begin their conversation. He gazed over the items at a snail's pace, resting his chin politely on his hand as he browsed through it. 

“I ordered us some coffee already, hope that’s okay...”

“Sure,” Mon-El spoke gently, seeming to be rather invested in the little plastic card with food items written on it. Things got a little awkward from there, only for a moment, but perhaps even charming guys with smug faces still got slightly nervous when it came to meeting new people. It was a relief that she wasn’t the only one that felt a bit out of her depth. 

Sneaking a glance at him, Kara noticed the way his hair was nicely combed, but other than that, he too had picked something casually nice to wear – a plain black tee that showed off his arms, but nothing fancy. It was difficult to know if this is what he meant by a ‘proper date’ considering what he had said last night, or if this was again, just like yesterdays hang out. Perhaps she shouldn’t try to label it as anything, it had been so long since she’d even considered dating that she wasn’t sure what the hell any of this even meant. It didn’t help that she had access to privy information via her little ‘wolf visits’.

“So…” Mon-El began, drawing her out of her thoughts. “What do you recommend?” He lifted his eyes from the menu to look at her expectantly. 

Luckily, food was something Kara was somewhat of an expert on, instantly lifting her mood and making conversation flow easily. “ _Well,”_  she began, _“t_ hat depends first, of course, if you want sweet or savoury. The blueberry pancakes are  _to die for_ , which is totally what I’m going to get. Vanilla milkshake sounds plain, but it’s actually really good and is secretly my go to. Uhhmmm… Tropical smoothie if you’re a health nut or something – the other smoothies are pretty average so tropical is totally the way to go. And if you are majorly indulgent, there are these weird things called churro pancakes which are basically just a stack of cinnamon loaded pancakes stuffed with chocolate...”

“I gather then, that you are in fact a sweet tooth,” Mon-El chuckled, enjoying the way Kara lit up simply talking about food. 

“I’m…” Kara struggled for a moment before admitting the truth. “…I’m not going to deny that.” She shrugged, ducking her head towards the menu again. “Uhm… it sounds weird, but I like bacon with my pancakes too, so technically I get a bit of savoury.” She moved on to her other best options. "But um… poached eggs are simple enough and actually really good here. If you’re not a sweet tooth like me?”

Mon-El shrugged. “I’m both. Breakfast foods are the best foods which always makes it hard to pick. Why can’t we have breakfast for lunch and dinner as well? That would be an ideal world.”

“Right?!” Kara laughed. Breakfast was always the best kind of meal. 

“Oooo… avocado and salmon bagel. Killing me here.” Mon-El continued to skim the list, wondering if he could just get everything.

“That’s good too.” She chimed in. “Sorry, this isn’t really helping you pick, is it..."

“Don’t blame you, I haven’t been out for breakfast in ages. It all looks pretty appealing. Have you had everything from here?”

“Probably,” Kara admitted. “Just not anything with mushrooms. Gross.”

“Really? I love them.”

“Ugh, Heathen.” She joked. 

Eve turned up then with a fresh pot of coffee, eyeing up Mon-El while completely ignoring the fact that she was sitting right there with him. Obviously on a date. “You’re new,” she smiled sweetly, unabashedly admiring his shoulders before returning her eyes to where they should have been. “Pretty sure I would have remembered seeing you around if you weren’t.” 

Kara felt her jaw shut tightly on instinct, strangely offended by something as simple as Eve making conversation with Mon-El. Was she….  _flirting?_  With HER date?

“Yeah, I stick out like a sore thumb around here apparently. Everyone’s noticed.”

“It’s hard not to…” Eve joked, causing a flash of jealousy to cut down through the middle of Kara’s chest. Seriously?

“Well, lucky for me I bumped into Kara at the post office on my first day here. Sounds like she’s pretty skilled up on what’s good to eat.” Mon-El smiled politely, but hinted about ordering some food. Though he hadn’t decided yet, he saw the way Kara’s shoulders slumped a tiny bit with the amount of attention the other blonde was giving him. She was clearly flirting and he wasn’t about to ignore the person he actually came to see. “We had a really nice coffee yesterday actually, at uhm… the place down the road? It’s a neat little spot. I’m not used to all the scenery.” He looked over to Kara, giving a gentle and encouraging smile. Eve was attractive too, he wouldn’t deny it, but that wasn’t why he was here – he already had a date. He tried his best to shut the other blonde down without being harsh about it. She seemed really nice, and was probably a friend of Kara’s. Still, her open flirting wasn’t very nice to do right in front of her friend. "You ready to order, Kara?” He watched as she bit her lip nervously, and didn’t seem to have heard him. “Are you still getting those blueberry pancakes?"

Kara snapped out of it just in time to realize Mon-El was waiting for her to speak. “Uhm, yeah, that’d be great." She took the opportunity to direct the conversation away from Eve’s rather natural flirting. "What are you gonna get?” 

“Uhhh.” Mon-El stalled, trying to make up his mind quickly. “Those blueberry pancakes sound good, I think I’ll have them too. With some bacon, apparently. That’s what you said, right Kara?”

“Yeah. Can I get extra bacon, too?” Kara asked, keeping Eve occupied and hopefully her attention away from Mon-El. 

“Sure.” Eve scribbled it down. "Anything else?” She looked at them both expectantly.

“I’m good with just coffee. Thanks, though.”

“Kara?”

“Uhm… a vanilla milkshake, please.”

“Of course.” Eve wrote it down and smiled politely again.

“Thanks, Eve.”

“No problem. Be back soon." 

When Eve left with their order, Mon-El was pretty sure Kara was feeling a little insecure. It didn’t really bother him, he knew it happened from time to time when getting to know new people, but he wanted to see her smile again and spar with him like she had the other day. He made an effort to lighten the mood, and knew just the thing that would push Kara’s buttons. 

“Well, while we wait for I food, I might as well tell you the good news.” He settled into to his seat comfortably to begin his little anecdote. 

“Oh?"

“I saw my wolf last night again.” As expected, Kara crossed her arms and took the bait. 

“YOUR wolf?”

“Well, she came to see me again. For the third time in a row. Even ate the pizza I left out for her. So I think we are becoming fast friends.” He grinned when Kara laughed, that sunshine smile returning.

“You’re actually ridiculous,” she rolled her eyes, but she liked the way Mon-El always directed their conversation to his latest updates on ‘his’ wolf. 

“I’m planning to get a picture so that you  _have_  to believe me. But I only ever see her in the dark... Well like, dusk. You know when it's still kinda light but the sun has already passed the horizon?”

"Sunset. Yes I’m aware of what that is Mon-El,” She mocked.

Mon-El saw the way Kara eased into a more comfortable position, becoming playful again as she grew more comfortable with him. Returning to a topic they’d already discussed made things flow easier and was common ground he was happy to return to over and over again – after all, his little encounters were pretty fascinating and he wanted to tell someone about them. He just wished Kara would actually believe his ridiculous stories, since it seemed stunning and unreal to him that merely days after leaving a city full of smoke and sound and taxis, that he was leaving pizza outside for an actual real-life  _wolf._

"Maybe I'll call her Moonlight,” Mon-El mentioned quietly, halfway between conversation and lost in thought. 

“What? You can't  _name_  her!” 

"Why not? You're the one telling me she doesn't exist, and  _I'm_  the only one who ever gets to see her. I should get to name her,” he teased. For some reason he loved seeing Kara getting so wound up. It was adorable and fierce and actually pretty funny too. 

"Why moonlight? That’s a stupid name."

"Come on... Wolf... Moon…? Only see her in the dark? Plus, she's basically mine so I should get to name her after me."

“She's not  _yours_. It's a wild animal!"

“Well, she likes me and I wanna call her something, so I will. I think it fits.” Mon-El grinned, and through about pulling back on the teasing before Kara got too pissed off with him. Still, it was pretty hilarious. 

Kara rolled her eyes and poured herself a coffee while they waited for their food. “Wait…” Kara contemplated. "How would that be 'named after you'? Is that what Mon-El means?” She’d been trying to pick where his name might have come from, having never heard it before in her life. It was peculiar and not at all what she would expect of someone who appeared to live a pretty normal life in a normal place. 

“Uh…No. Moonlight is what my last name means. Luar. Mon-El Luar." 

“Wow, you have the weirdest name in the history of weird names…” Kara joked, but then felt the sudden need to kick herself for saying something without thinking. She hoped Mon-El wouldn't take offence, but he seemed to take it all in his stride. 

"Pfff. At least its not Dick, or like... Rudolph.”

“Rudolph?”

“Yeah. Like the reindeer. I’ve legitimately met someone with that name. You know I once had a client called Steve Sharts? I had to publish his name in the magazine and everything. Our whole office was in stitches!"

Kara nearly spat out her coffee. “You’re joking...”

“Nope. I see a lot of weird names. I’m fine with mine after what I’ve seen, trust me." 

Kara managed to swallow her coffee without making a mess before continuing. “Okay, but then... you should be good at names. And know what a bad one is.”

"You really don't like it? Moonlight? Come on…."

“It's just a bit generic,” she shrugged. “Like calling her snowstorm or lightning."

"What would you call her then?” Mon-El challenged.

"I dunno."

"So there we go."

"You cant name her!"

"I can do what I want."

"She won't like the name,” Kara grumbled, continuing to argue her point.

"You don't know that. How could you possibly know that?"

Kara tensed, and then decided to let him have it. He clearly wasn’t going to give it up, and as much as she enjoyed their little banter, she couldn’t give anything away. She relinquished, hoping Mon-El would maybe move onto another topic. ” _Fine,_ ” she surrendered, watching as that stupid smug THING returned to Mon-El’s face. “You can use any excuse for you want, but  _really,_  it’s just an exercise of self-inflated male ego.” She threw one last jab at him, annoyed that out of all the things he could have named her, it was about as creative as a 3-year old naming a bunny rabbit ‘Snowy.'

“Probably,” he smirked. 

Kara’s milkshake turned up before their food, and she welcomed the sugary treat with glee. As much as she was enjoying her coffee, she was starving and had a massive craving for sugar. She grabbed and twirled the straw around, quickly thanking Eve before digging in. Looking up, she saw Mon-El was watching her curiously. “Oh, do you want some? You can try it if you want?”

“Sure.”

Kara slid the glass over to Mon-El, but at the last second pulled it back out of his reach. “Only if you don’t give that beautiful wolf such a stupid name.” She gave him a knowing look, and then nodded at the drink still in her hand.

“Bribery. You play ball…” he chuckled.

“Well…?”

“Fine. But I get two sips. And it better be a nice milkshake.”

“It is. You’ll wish you had of gotten one yourself.” She passed it over and watched expectantly as Mon-El gingerly took a sip, and then another when he realised just how amazing it tasted. 

“Daaaaamnnn.  _How?_  What is  _in_  this?”

“I dunno. But it’s great, right?” Kara shrugged. 

“Hell yeah it is.” He took another sip, watching as the liquid depleted from the glass. 

“Hey! Hand it over!” 

“Fine. It’s really good though.” Mon-El reluctantly slid the glass back to her, watching this self-satisfied little grin appear on her lips. This was going really well, Kara seemed to be enjoying herself and not the least bit concerned about being anything other than herself with him.

“So what are you doing for the weekend?” Kara enquired. She’d thought about seeing if Mon-El wanted to do some sightseeing… maybe with her… if he wanted to. She knew her way around and where all the best places were, and he didn’t really know anyone so it might be nice to have a tour guide. 

“Not sure yet. Any suggestions?”

“I was gonna take my camera up the Lora Mountains to try my new lens. I saved for well over a year to get it. It came on earlier in the week, finally. It's a nice walk..."

“Sounds nice. So you hike a lot?”

“Pretty much every weekend. I don’t have much else to do other than read and edit my photos on my sister's shitty laptop.”

"Can I see some of your photos some time?” Mon-El was curious as to her creative side, especially working in an industry that involved visual work a lot. 

“Uh… yeah I guess. They aren’t that good. It’s just a hobby. I’m sure since you work in media you’re always seeing professional work and stuff.”

“Yeah, but it’s your standard editorial stuff. Fashion. Interiors. Interviews... Portrait shoots for the features I do. Be nice to see something different.”

“What’s it like?”

“Working at Daxam?”

“Yeah. The media company thing…”

Kara listened to Mon-El talk about his work, more enthusiastic about it than she’d ever heard someone talk about a job. He mostly got to edit stories about peoples lives, interview them and do features of their strange art projects, innovative business ideas, or Q and A’s with up and coming musicians, entrepreneurs and designers. It sounded like he didn’t work for one of those bullshitty magazines that only cared about the Kardashians or new crash diet fads. He got to meet and interact with interesting people. People that were creative and intelligent and had quirky habits. It sounded pretty substantial. 

“The magazine I contribute the most to is kinda more relevant, I think. Like, it’s not trashy and focused on celebs or too self absorbed? It’s more about creators and lifestyle and the unique ideas people have. Telling people's stories. Appreciating new ideas. We still have, you know, typical dating and relationships section, and comment on current events here and there. But it’s just about… life, you know? Appreciating uniqueness. 

“Is uniqueness even a word?” She joked.

Eve interrupted them to place their plates of food in front of them, though Mon-El didn’t miss a beat, simply thanking the waitress before launching straight back into conversation. “It is, actually. Probably not one I would use in an article, though.” 

“Sounds interesting.” Kara couldn’t help but turn her attention to her pancakes, politely putting some food in her mouth while Mon-El continued to talk. 

“Yeah, we have a few different ones. Small stuff mostly. We aren’t a major outlet or anything. We have a few other magazines, like a foodie mag which I’m sure you would love. And there's our fashion one that I’m not sure we should even bother having when  _Vogue_  exists. Like, why bother?” He rolled his eyes, clearly expressing a long-held opinion. "These days we are shifting more towards E-magazines though, which is sad. I prefer the texture of real paper and print. There’s something about seeing artwork and photographs in the psychical, you know? But it’s the way the world is going I guess...”

“You’re really into your job, huh…?” Kara managed a sentence between mouthfuls, delighting in the combination of fluffy pancakes, syrup, and perfectly cooked bacon. She could get used to this. 

“Yeah. It’s... sort of my whole life. Which sounds terribly lame. But. It’s… home.” Mon-El stopped gesturing with his knife and fork long enough to actually begin on his breakfast, quieting down to eat for a bit.

Kara’s heart sank a little, knowing he would undoubtedly return ‘home’ after his sabbatical. She knew he would. Of course he would. But it was just… it was so nice being here with him. She wanted it to last longer. He was so easy to be around and talk to that she lost track of time and any need to put up a front. He was relaxed and easygoing. 

Things were a little more laid-back from there, talking slower and taking bites of food between small sentences. Mentions of photography equipment came up when Mon-El started to brag about some of the cool gear their company had access to, making Kara wish that maybe she didn’t have to live so distant and far away from the world. He seemed pretty keen to see her work, which was nice of him, but her images were personal and experimental and probably not all the impressive.

“You okay?” Mon-El stopped eating for a moment to watch Kara, and she ended up putting her utensils down to move her attention to her milkshake for a short time. 

“Just… thinking. About… how different it is for you. I’ve never really had much or experienced much. It’s cool that you get to, and I love hearing about it. Just makes me wonder…”

“About what could have been…?”

“Yeah.”

“I understand that.” Maybe not in the same way, but he had is own fair share of regrets and wondering what could have been. 

“Your family?” Kara guessed, but then immediately wished she could have taken back the words that left her mouth. She only knew about that because of… because of last night.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” She picked up her fork and stabbed it quickly into a blueberry, averting her gaze and taking major interest in the swirls of syrup messily adorning her plate.

Mon-El was left puzzled about how she could have so accurately got a read on him. Did he give something away yesterday at their coffee? He’d mentioned Lena and his mother, but nothing much. Kara was certainly a strange girl. Not necessarily in a bad way, but he was surprised how much she continued to be a mystery to him – fascinating and enigmatic.

“So how did you like your pancakes?” Kara changed topics again, hoping to ease any lingering awkwardness from her slip up. 

“They were…” Mon-El couldn’t help himself. “… _gorgeous._ ”

Kara rolled her eyes, wondering if this guy ever let up on the endless jokes and shameless smart-arsed comments. “Seriously?”

“What? Embarrassed to admire all this?” He chucked and raised his brows at her, teasing.

“Well, you took a peek at my ass when I left the cafe they another day, so we're even.” She threw back. 

“How did yo– I did  _not_.”

It was Kara’s turn to be smug, watching his wide eyes fill with surprise. “You sure about that?”

“I am... not answering that question.” He turned to his coffee, leaving her rather satisfied that she had won that round. 

“You’re fun,” Kara admitted after a time, hoping she wasn’t overstepping by being so honest. It was a simple enough phrase, but she didn’t like feeling so vulnerable.

“So are you.”

 

*

 

They polished off the rest of their food, blissfully unaware of anyone else that came and went from the Diner, chatting away until their time was up and Kara needed to get to work. 

“Wanna come with me on Saturday?”

“Up the Lora Mountains? Hiking?” Mon-El pulled his card out as they made their way to the counter together, continuing to talk and make the most of their time. 

“Yeah. Think you can keep up?” Kara challenged. 

"Last one to the top has to buy the next coffee,” He grinned, knowing there was no way he would beat Kara up a track he’d never tackled before. Steep, lots of stairs, but plenty of places to stop at a waterfall for a swim if he wanted to brave the cold. But it would give him an excuse to take her out to coffee again rather easily, since he had no doubt Kara would reach the pinnacle before he did. 

“Hope you brought some decent hiking boots, Mon-El. You’ll need them.”

“I’m sure I can take you on…"

Kara laughed, enjoying the light-hearted banter that effortlessly flowed between them. “Great. I’ll uhm… I’ll text you.”

“Cool.” Mon-El put his hands in his pockets as they wandered outside to the carpark, finding their way to his car. “Hey, Kara?” He stopped, fiddling with his keys while lingering a moment longer.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for breakfast. I had a really nice time." He wasn't sure how the two of them had just fallen into step so easily, talking and joking like they'd known each other far longer than less than a week. But their little outing had undoubtedly been one of his favourite breakfast dates. "Those pancakes were pretty darn stellar, too.”

“Plenty more on that menu for you to try while you’re here.” Kara let a mellow smile melt onto her face, hoping this wouldn’t be the last time they enjoyed a breakfast together. 

“We should do this again sometime.”

Kara fiddled with her hands, watching as Mon-El took his car-keys out of his pocket. “I’d... i'd really like that..."

"Well alright then. See you Saturday." 

"Enjoy the rest of your day..." 

 

**

 


	9. Life's about moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The usual apologies for taking way too long to update. As most of you know I'm unwell and going into the hospital for my second surgery next week. All written works are taking about 4 times as long at the moment. Again, sorry. 
> 
> No beta. No edits. Just throwing it out and hoping for the best. I know it's pretty shit but I don't have that much time to spend on it. 
> 
> P.s The locals call Linden Valley ‘Linden’ for short (not a typo. It’s deliberate).

 

 

* * *

 

 

A few days later, the weekend finally arrived and Kara couldn’t have been happier. It wasn’t _just_ that she was getting to spend time with Mon-El again, though she had certainly been thinking about that. She’d been thinking of him a lot lately actually. But this feeling – it was something else... something she couldn’t quite place.

Her small daypack was already full – two sandwiches, a few muesli bars, water, and an extra pair of socks in case hers got wet – all packed and ready to go. She knew to be prepared for these things and threw in a small first aid kit too. Her hiking boots sat newly cleaned next to the door awaiting their proper use, and other than needing to remind herself to take quick bathroom break pre-hike, she was basically ready for the day.

As usual, Kara had plenty of time before Mon-El would show up, having been awake since the crack of dawn. Now that she had nothing much to do, it gave her some time to think over her unusual increase in mood as of late.

It couldn’t just be the time she’d been spending talking with some _guy_ , surely she wasn’t _that_ desperate. She’d been happy enough before he’d come along, living her quiet life of solace on the edge of nowhere. Invisibility was her forte – her _preference_ ; be quiet, polite, and go unnoticed. Sure, she knew her neighbours, at least the ones she saw often. But the type of people who chose the lifestyle Linden had to offer, were similar to her in that they enjoyed the isolation. A small wave hello. A slight nod. A gentle smile… Those were the types of interactions people were used to. There was a soothing kind of quality to living separate and undisturbed lives. Some people chose that – it’s just what they liked.

There was nothing wrong with the low-key and easy going way of living, urban cities and consumerist culture weren’t for everyone. But perhaps, Kara really was beginning to crave something more.

She had lingered so long in secrets and shadows, passing people by with minimal disturbance, (easy enough to do in a place like this), that she’d grown accustomed to it, completely comfortable with her place in the world. But now, getting to know Mon-El, she got to hear little anecdotes of his friends and coworkers back home at his favourite bar, and the unique stories he was privy to hear as a writer for Daxam. There was something about it... Mon-El had funny stories to tell, interesting experiences, and highly enjoyed telling embellished tales of the company he kept. Expressive and social, his accounts of life in National City seemed to always include his connections with others.

Kara had never been drunk. Never danced on table tops. Never spilt coffee on her boss in front of a boardroom full of people. There was nothing particularly special about these life’s moments that Mon-El happened to share with her, as they talked over the phone or on her lunch break. They were normal snippets of day to day life for him, random remarks, or comments thrown into conversation to make her laugh. But what Mon-El described… it was enthralling to her for the simple reason that she had never _had that_. She’d never considered what it would be like to actually have real connections and so many people involved in her life on a daily basis. Social gatherings. Parties and events. A bustling and busy life full of associates and friends and contact with others. She was spellbound by the thought of it all. Vivid in his descriptions, Mon-El made her feel as though she was a participant in his world and not merely an outside observer. She felt... connection.

Though Mon-El’s way of life was entirely intriguing to her, she’d never wanted that for herself before. Plus, even if she did consider what it might be like, it had always seemed far to difficult to keep the company of others. It was too dangerous, and in the end, would only end in abandonment when she couldn’t possibly explain her little _problem_ that occurred every night. All things considered, her mood was a little confusing. How was it that simply feeling connected could make her so elated? When usually, she would feel afraid and shy away from it.…

Socializing and sharing were NOT things Kara was used to, not really. Getting to know other people wasn't exactly high on her priority list, since she had to keep a safe distance from those that might discover her secret. But she felt different with Mon-El. He listened. Asked questions. Was genuinely interested to know her. She knew she was walking on dangerous ground, sharing parts of herself with him – and yet couldn’t stop herself from adoring every moment of genuine connection she could get her hand on. It was something she was coming to crave more and more with each passing day.

Perhaps in time, she would grow jealous of Mon-El - all the things that he got to do that she didn’t. Or perhaps, she would just continue to revel in hearing him share because it was so different and interesting, but never want that for herself. For now, she wasn’t sure. She just wanted to go for a hike and take a few pretty pictures. She just wanted to enjoy her time today, and make the most of whatever strange mood this was.

 

*

 

Mon-El was running late, extremely unusual for him, usually so organised and punctual that he wasn’t sure just how the time had ended up running away from him. He was meant to be picking up Kara up in 15 minutes like they’d agreed, yet was still trying to find his sports trainers to go hiking in. Unlike Kara, he didn’t actually own hiking boots, but at least he’d had the forethought to bring a solid pair of footwear with him for outdoor activities. Shit… did he leave them down by the lake the other night? Probably, since he was so distracted by moving his kayak and himself as quickly as possible to safety – out of the way of that strangely beautiful creature that kept visiting him. He’d likely forgotten all about his shoes and would probably find them still down on the bank by the water.

Sure enough, after rushing down to try find them, his runners were exactly in the last place he had stupidly left them. And to top it off, they were slightly damp.

Brilliant.

 **Mon-El Luar  
** _> > Hey, super sorry, running a tad late. Be by soon. <<_

He shot off a quick text to Kara, trying to be polite because he usually had appropriate manners when it came to timeliness. Seriously, he wasn’t usually so lax.

 **Kara Danvers  
** _> > No worries, we’ve got all day. See you when you get here. <<_

Oh. Right. It wasn’t like this was a client meeting or anything. They were only going hiking. Still, he felt horrible that he was stupid enough to be late. It was entirely unlike him. He was also hoping to make the most of every minute he got to spend with Kara, having been looking forward to their weekend outing for the rest of the week. They’d talked on the phone a couple times, and he had dropped into the post office with a coffee for her on her lunch break, but other than small chats he hadn’t spent a great deal of quality time with her yet. But the whole day hiking was another thing entirely – though he wondered if she had invited anyone else to come along. Perhaps if they were lucky enough they would even see that wolf! (Or unlucky, because, wild animals were dangerous. Still, he wanted to be there with her when she finally got to see it.)

Pulling his shoes on because he didn’t have a dryer or anything like that out here, Mon-El noticed they weren’t that bad, and hopefully wouldn’t bother him on their walk. All he needed to do was find his small point-and-shoot camera for the trip and he was set. Today was going to be a good day.

 

*

 

Kara sat in the passenger seat telling Mon-El where to go, already eating one of her muesli bars as she mumbled out directions. The trees were finally starting to show more signs of life, budding greenery appearing all around them. “...Round the corner, there's a hidden left. No sign or anything so don’t miss it.” Kara spoke through mouthfuls with her feet on the dash, hoping no one else would be on the Lora Track today. She finally got to spend the whole day with Mon-El, and didn’t really want to come across other people.

“Gotcha.” Mon-El kept his eyes peeled and saw up ahead a small gravel road, pulling onto the narrow lane before slowing down. Looking over he saw Kara shove her muesli bar wrapper back in her bag, her camera balanced on her lap. “That camera looks pretty sweet. What lens is that?” He made light conversation, intrigued as to her photography skills.

“14mm. I’ve been wanting an ultra-wide for a while now. Good for landscapes and stuff and we will have lots of good views.”

“Mirrorless?”

“Nope, standard DSLR. Got it second-hand when someone else was upgrading to a new kit. Still kind of an expensive hobby though, much to my sister’s annoyance.” Kara shrugged, before giving him more directions. “Another left. Just there."

“Your sister doesn’t approve? "Mon-El thought creative interests were beneficial to a persons wellbeing and often times were a positive way to spend time. "What’s wrong with having a hobby?” He asked.

“Nothing. Not really.” Kara began to explain "It’s just that…. well… we don’t exactly make much, you know? Alex thinks I should be saving for better things than taking pretty pictures.”

“Whatever makes you happy though, right?”

“I think she just wanted more for me. That’s all. Like when we moved here, I think maybe she had this idea it was all going to be temporary… while I uhm… figured something out.”

“I see…” Mon-El didn’t really know what to think of the Danvers' situation. It was a little crazy anyway, you know, with the whole running away thing. But they were both well and truly adults now. He could see how maybe it was time for each of them to move on. Perhaps separate or become more independent.

Kara continued to explain, voicing her thoughts “Now we are both older, like, much older, and still stuck here. It’s kinda just… a big sacrifice for Alex. And then she gets disappointed that I’d rather spend my cash on this kind of thing.” She gestured to her camera, looking kinda glum. "I dunno. It’s hard to tell because she never really talks to me about that kind of stuff, you know? She doesn’t want me to feel guilty or something, because we both know she’d never leave me. Even if she wanted to relocate somewhere to live more like you do…"

“More like I do?”

“You know... Lots of people. Proper job. Instead of out in the middle of nowhere going nowhere.”

“Then why doesn’t she? I mean. Don’t take this the wrong way… but… you said you’re 24 right? Making her… 29?”

“28. Her birthday isn’t until later in the year.”

“So you’re both independent adults now.”

“I guess.”

“You guess?”

“It’s more complicated than that.”

“What’s complicated about it? It’s not like you’d never see each other again. Bird’s gotta leave the nest sometime, right?”

Kara sighed, letting out a huff of air “You wouldn’t understand, Mon-El. It’s not….” She paused, unable to quite voice her thoughts. “I’m different. She knows that. I’m… dependant on her.”

Mon-El became confused, knowing Kara was quite capable and a relatively normal person. She showed no signs of mental or physical disability that would require her sister’s ongoing care. “Still?”

“ _Yes._ Okay? I’m not proud of it. Now can you _drop it?_ ” Kara spoke through gritted teeth.

“Sure. Sorry.” Kara got all aggressive suddenly, screwing her fists up and trying to appear calm. It was strange to see her like this, suddenly defensive out of the blue. “I was just trying to make sense of things. I’m sorry if I ask too many questions.” He tried to be soothing, since he didn’t mean to offend her or anything. It was just surprising to hear that Kara still thought she was dependant on her sister, since she was obviously intelligent and strong-willed. Perhaps it was just out of habit? Being comfortable and afraid to let go of everything she’d known? The lack of emotional security that came with losing her parents and only really having one person in the world through thick and thin… he could see how it would be daunting to ‘lose’ the one person that had protected and cared for her. It kinda made sense to him. But she wasn’t a child anymore. She didn’t need to necessarily need to LIVE with Alex to have that same kind of connection and emotional support.

“You think I’m strange. And childish. For still living with my sister.” Kara muttered, more of a statement than a question.

“No no,” he tried to defend himself. He didn’t have enough information on the matter to really form a solid opinion. “Your situation is just really different. It’s not something I’m used to coming across, that’s all. I don’t really understand it, but that doesn’t mean I judge you for it.”

“So you don’t think it’s weird that I still live with Alex?”

Mon-El sighed, not really sure to answer without offending her. He shrugged. “I dunno, everyone's different. You seem pretty independent to me…”

“I am.” _Just not enough to let Alex go live her life. The life she really wants._ Kara thought to herself.

“Well, then what does it really matter what anyone thinks anyway? Everyone’s different. If your relationship is healthy and you’re happy then what does it matter?” Mon-El pulled into a carpark, having finally arrived at the destination in front of a sign marked _‘Lora Track –– To Summit: 2hrs’_. Wow, it was going to be quite the uphill walk.

“What if… what if I’m not?” Kara continued.

“Huh?"

“What if I’m not happy…?”

“Are you not?” She’d seemed to reiterate time and time again that she was fine with her life in Linden, but it sounded like she had a few doubts.

“I dunno anymore. It’s fine. Just. Complicated. Things aren’t what they seem.”

“In what way?”

“It’s… not something I can talk about. Sorry.”

“Not at all. It’s no problem. Hey were are here now anyway. So how about that walk huh? I believe you were going to try to beat me to the top?” Mon-El was getting confused about their conversation again and preferred to get back to enjoying their day hiking. It seemed Kara did too, but the way she snapped out of whatever realm she was in and returned to her usual playfulness.

“Try? We both know I can do it without even breaking into a sweat.” She zipped up her small day pack and chucked a light jacket on, stepping out of the vehicle.

“Oh is that so…” Mon-El challenged, leaving his sweater inside the car before locking it.

“Yep. And I’m about to prove it.”

“Bring it on, Kara."

 

*

 

Kara was extremely agile, making her way up the contorted and rocky path with the same kind of ease of a mountain leopard. He fell behind quickly as she placed her feet skilfully and with minimal thought, advancing forward effortlessly. He had to say it was kind of impressive. But it was also slightly annoying – considering he was fit and strong and yet he was the one lagging behind.

“Come on slow poke!” Kara tossed over her shoulder, continuing to ascend a flight of stairs carved into the rock with barely the slightest hint of breathlessness.

“You said we have all day!” He called back, wishing he had more experience with uphill treks in the middle of Rao-damn nowhere. Sure, he went to the gym a lot, and had a basic cardio routine to stay in shape, but it was pretty clear treadmills had nothing on these hills.

“I didn’t mean I wanted this to _actually_ take all day. If I thought we’d be this slow I would have brought more snacks.”

“You and your snacks.” Mon-El rolled his eyes, his ego taking a hit at Kara's effortless ability to tackle every slope and stairway they came across. He finally caught up when Kara stopped to take some pictures, leaning against a tree while she adjusted the focus ring. He let her compose her images undisturbed, watching as she snapped a few images of the winding river they were following.

“It’s a manual focus?” Mon-El noticed.

Kara eased the camera down when she was done to answer. “Yeah? It was cheaper...”

“Damn. Gotta hand it to you, most of us these days are too lazy for that. You must have stellar eyesight and precision for that.”

“Practice, I guess” Kara shrugged, knowing her sharp eyesight probably did give her a slight advantage.

“Can I see?” He motioned for her to pass the camera to him, hoping to sneak a look at her images.

“Uhm… they’re nothing special. But… sure.” Kara reluctantly gave it to him and crossed her arms over herself, awaiting his judgement.

“This is a nice lens,” he mused, flicking through the gallery.

“It’s not just about the lens you moron.” She bit back, not meaning to sound so harsh. Mon-El just chuckled in response, always surprised when she accidentally let her fiery side show.

“You are right, my apologies. This _camera_ is really good too…” He teased, laughing when she huffed.

“ _Jerk._ ” She ripped the camera back from him and glared at him, though for some reason he couldn’t find it anything other than adorable.

“Sorry, I’m just kidding, Kara. You know that right? They’re good. You’ve got a great eye.” He grinned, watching Kara's expression melt a bit.

“You’re still a jerk.” She admonished, rolling her eyes before turning around and continuing to lead the way. “But thanks…” She added, smiling quietly to herself.

 

*

 

They’d been walking for well over an hour, stopping at the riverside every now and then to take pictures from different vantage points, inspect strange plants, or sit down for a break and a drink of water (Kara, of course, eating her snacks.) At one point sat down to just watch the water falling over rocks while talking, Kara still taking pictures while Mon-El just let her be. They had passed through evergreens and rocky outcroppings, sometimes leading them away from the river and then back again, sometimes talking, and sometimes not. It was a relaxing sort of walk, though admittedly, Mon-El found himself occasionally out of breath, (And occasionally, tripping over large roots or random rocks.)

Eventually, they came upon a large waterhole, not far off another waterfall. "What are you doing?” Mon-El eyed Kara strangely as she took her small daypack off and started to remove her shoes.

"Going for a swim? You coming?"

“I... didn’t bring anything to swim in… I kinda assumed it would be far too cold until summer.” Mon-El looked down at his only shirt and shorts, and back up towards the water. It was beautiful to admire from afar, but didn’t look that inviting this time of year.

"Oh, it is. It’s about 13 degrees."

"What?!!” Was she crazy?

"Celsius. Otherwise it would be frozen solid, you idiot."

"Well, that’s still pretty cold…” Mon-El was pretty sure Kara was nuts if she thought she was about to go swimming in the large undisturbed pool at the edges of the rocky bank.

“Well then, you can just chicken out over here while I take a dip. I didn’t take you for a wuss, but that’s fine.”

“Exc _uuuse_ me. I am not a wuss.”

“He says, refusing to get into the water. Mmmhmm.” Kara just laughed and gave him a knowing look.

“You’re not even in the water yet. Let’s see how long you last, and if you are still talking to me like that when you squeal and scramble back up here freezing your arse off.” Mon-El crossed his arms expectantly, staring Kara down while just she shrugged. He watched as she turned away from him and walked down to the water's edge, swiftly stripping her jacket and shirt off, leaving her in nothing but her sports bra and shorts. _Bold move,_ he thought, becoming more intrigued by this mystery that was Kara Danvers. Timid and quiet, playful and yet occasionally shy, and yet here she was in her element, not even slightly bothered by her lack of clothing, or concerned enough to test the water temperature before diving straight in.

There was barely even a splash where she gracefully vanished, the reflections on the mirror-like surface making Kara difficult to see. Waiting a few seconds, and then a moment longer, Mon-El was surprised that Kara hadn’t come up yet. When she finally emerged, she was nearing the waterfall at the base of the cliff.

“I’m impressed!” He called over to her, seeing that she’d swum a fair distance despite the frigid water.

“It’s nice. You’re missing out!” She called back as she floated further towards the spray lingering off the bottom of the waterfall.

Mon-El bet that she was already shivering by now, but was putting on a brave face to goad him, though he couldn’t tell since she was already far enough away. He made out her cheeky gleam but not much else, as she continued to float and then disappeared into the cascading water, leaving him on the rocks by himself.

Screw it. She seemed to be having too much fun without him, and he wasn’t about to be shown up by this girl. Rolling his eyes, Mon-El begrudgingly removed his shirt, and would just have to deal with walking in wet shorts when he got out of the water. He didn’t really have a choice having brought nothing else with him save for his phone in his pocket and his small camera. Leaving his electronics on top of his clothing, Mon-El walked down to the water and dipped his toe in (immediate regret) and saw why it was paramount to just jump straight in. It was far too cold for this… and yet, he found himself leaping into the water with an ungraceful splash.

 _Shit._ Shit shit shit. How did Kara do this so calmly? The water was so cold it was literally a shock to his system, causing his airways to tighten and threaten to close. Breathing through it, Mon-El managed to adjust enough to the temperature and start swimming, though it wasn’t exactly pleasant. Much less _nice._ He was struggling against the compression around his lungs, the sharp bite on his muscles causing them to tense. Shit it was cold.

It took some time, but the distasteful feeling around him faded a little by the time he reached the surge of water that descended from above. Floating towards the rumbling veil, he ducked his head slightly to swim through it and blinked a few times when he reached the other side.

"You decided to join me.” Kara smiled, still floating in the water in what appeared to be a little cove, quieter underneath than on the outside.

"Couldn’t have you thinking I was a wuss now, could I?” His voice echoed off the rocks, his eyes adjusting to the dim light in the enclosed crevice they were in.

"Ah yes. That self-inflated male ego again. Of course.” Kara rolled her eyes playfully before motioning for him to come closer. “Here. There’s a ledge underneath me. Come sit.”

She appeared to be feeling for something underwater, her chest covered by the depth, though whatever rock was underneath her seemed just high enough to sit on comfortably. Mon-El swam towards her, blinding using his hands underwater to find where the ledge was until he was finally able to join her. He turned around and found a place to settle.

"You like it?” Kara sat beside him, tracing shapes in the water.

"Of course. We don’t have anything like this back home, that’s for sure.” He took in the dulled roaring sound around him from their place concealed from the outside world.

“I’ve never brought anyone here,” Kara stared at the flowing water in front of them, thinking aloud as she spoke. “It’s kinda special.”

“I can see why.” It was like a hidden gem, a rare secret that only the favoured few would find. Sitting behind a waterfall wasn’t something he’d imagined doing when he pictured his trip away, sitting in the water while listening to a rolling downpour just a few feet in front of him. Water diffused slightly where it met the river's surface, drifting back into his face. It was refreshing and entirely new to him, a novel experience that he likely would not forget any time soon.

“Not too cold?”

“Freezing my arse off,” he admitted. "But worth it.”

“Well, I’m glad you like it.” She spoke, suddenly aware of Mon-El’s body heat so close to hers. She could feel him looking at her intently, though she was afraid to raise her eyes and met his gaze. She let her fingers continue to play with the water's surface for a while, trying to calm her senses. It felt smooth and ghostly, tracing light circles with the tip of her index.

Eventually, she gave in, still sensing Mon-El's eyes on her. When she reluctantly looked up, she was unsurprised to find Mon-El still staring at her. “What?” She questioned.

Mon-El considered for a moment, the beautiful woman in front of him just sitting in the water – no outward appearances or makeup or pretences – just authentically her, totally honest and uninhibited. Her hair was drenched and sticking to her shoulders, though she gave no apparent indication of being self-conscious around him. Nothing about her was hidden or dishonest. She was unlike anyone he’d ever met.

"You are quite the mystery, Kara.”

"You have no idea,” she chuckled, grinning to herself like there was some inside joke he’d missed. She continued to aimlessly move water around, smiling gently. It was nice to just sit, basking in an undisturbed world without any pressure to talk or do anything in particular. Just enjoying the moment. Nowhere to be. No expectations. It was one of Kara's favourite things about living in Linden – there was no need to impress anyone, and barely any responsibilities or commitments to take care of. It was just... stressless. No schedule, no appointments, no people to try keep appeased. She lost herself in thought, considering what it might be like to forgo all this in favour of buildings and concrete and stress - it didn't seem like something that would fit her personality.

Kara seemed lost in thought, unaware that she had moved from drawing circles on the water to a figure-eight, endless drawing an infinity sign with her hand while letting her head tilt slightly to the side. It was mezmerising, just how comfortable and at ease Kara was with him there, learning her shoulder towards him without even knowing it. He shifted slightly to bump it with his own, earning him a timid smile and questioning gaze when she looked up. Kara's eyes were shockingly blue – stunning him in place.

"What?" She asked again, the gravity of her captivating all of his senses.

"Nothing..." He watched Kara rolled her eyes at him and return to whatever she was doing, completely unaware how much she was bewitching him. Whether by some unknown force, or just the intoxicating feelings in his blood, Mon-El found himself leaning slightly closer, lifting a finger to the edge of her jaw to direct her attention back.

Kara became aware of Mon-El's touch on her face, though she initially thought she'd imagined it. The slightest hint directed her back to him, and when she looked up again, Kara was surprised to find Mon-El right up close, his breath next to hers. His gaze burnt her insides up in a way that was near euphoric, and she looked down to see his lips so close to her own, right _there_ , entirely within reach. “Oh,” she breathed, unable to project her voice much more than a whisper, finally realizing what was happening between them. 

“You’re beautiful, Kara. In a way unlike anyone I’ve ever met.” Mon-El whispered back, voicing his innermost thoughts. He looked between her eyes and her lips, but didn’t advance any closer to capture them with his own. She was holding her breath, slightly dizzy at the nearness… and yet, Mon-El's words sank in right at the wrong moment. That she was unlike anyone he’d ever met… because she _wasn’t_. She was cursed. A shapeshifter.

She was destined to be alone and the hurt of that realisation struck her hard. Snapping out of their tense moment, Kara pulled away quickly, unable to let herself to cross that line. “Sorry. I uhm... it’s getting pretty cold. We should uhm…” She removed herself from their place on the ledge to quickly re-enter the water and duck underneath the falls. Swimming back over to the rocks, she wanted to kick herself for not just throwing caution to the wind for one beautiful moment, curse be damned. But she couldn’t. She thought she could. Hell, she wanted to. Isn’t that what she’d been hoping for, at least a part of her, from the moment this cute guy strode into the post office? But now that it was within reach, the consequences terrified her, and like her former self, she fled.

“Kara?”

She heard Mon-El behind her sounding confused, but she could swim a lot faster than him, heading straight back to where they’d left their things before pulling herself out of the water. She threw her shirt on over her wet sports bra and sat back down, dripping with water while waiting for him. She knew she would dry off while they were walking, though now she feared their hike would be awkward and tense and horrible. She’d ruined the moment. And maybe even the rest of their day.

Stressing out, she chose to mask it completely, ignoring whatever the hell just happened in the last few minutes. She hadn’t been sure this was really even a thing, had really even been happening until right now. She shouldn’t have been taken that off guard, they’d been seeing a lot of each other and talking and hanging out. Basically gone on dates. But the reality of it all just hit suddenly and meant she had to consider the hard truth that she’d never truly get to be with someone in that way. She needed to pull back. Friends was fine. It was safe. But she could never really be with Mon-El. Why start? Why even try?

“Hey, you okay?” Mon-El finally got back and pulled himself out of the water, running his hand through his hair that dripped over his shoulders.

“Yeah. Fine. Just got suddenly chilly.”

“Uhm… I’m sorry if I… overstepped. I didn’t–“

“–No, no… Please. It’s just….” Kara screwed her eyes tightly shut, thinking she could avoid this. But it turned out Mon-El wanted to confront it head-on. “I like spending time with you, really. It’s just… complicated.” Kara tried to reiterate her earlier statement, the motto of her entire life, basically.

“Okay. Still, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It's okay. I just…” She trailed off, not sure how to explain herself. She didn’t have time to formulate her thoughts properly, so tried her best to just wing it. “I wasn’t sure… that uhm…”

“It alright, you don’t need to explain.”

“But I want to. I’ve really… really enjoyed… you know. Having someone. To talk to and spend time with. But I.. it could never work. You and me. I still want to show you around while you’re here and hang out and… and get coffee… I mean if that’s okay with you. I just… is… is friends okay?” Her heart was thundering, fearing that Mon-El would take her rejection as a sign that she wanted nothing to do with him. It wasn’t true, and she really really wanted to kiss him. But she couldn’t let herself do that. Not when she knew it wouldn’t end well. She wanted more than friends, but couldn’t have it. She’d have to settle for less if she wanted to enjoy any part of his stay. But would he even be okay with that?

“Sure. Having some company while I’m staying here would be really nice.” He shrugged, trying not to sound disappointed. He was willing to wait – he understood Kara's fears, her background and lifestyle leant itself to developing a distrusting and cautious approach to emotional connection. And he had probably advanced on Kara far too soon. She wasn’t used to people, and he himself didn’t really understand what overtook him so suddenly as the urge to press his lips to hers. He was gutted, but willing to accept whatever Kara wanted.

“I don’t want it to be… awkward.”

“You were awkward anyway. It’s part of your charm.” He chuckled, trying to ease Kara back to a place of comfortable interaction.

Kara just continued to sit, clearly unhappy as she reached for her pack and unzipped it, shuffling around to find her last muesli bar.

“…It’s okay. Honestly.” Mon-El was willing to respect her need for time, and if they answer was still no, he’d take that willingly too. (Though truthfully, he’d be hugely disappointed.)

“Thanks. For understanding. Do you… Do you want half of this? We can dry off when we walk. Still a little way to the top. And then all the way back down again, of course.” Kara tried to change the subject. Tried to be normal.

“Sure. Thanks.” Mon-El sat next to her (though further away than under the falls) and politely accepted the offered food.

“You still owe me coffee when I beat you to the summit.”

“Well alright then.”

\--


	10. "Something like that..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry all. As you know I was back in hospital for my second surgery, and between lots of drugs and drs appointments I haven't been able to write. A few ppl have been asking for TLATR Part 2, and I will try post a few chapters for you but progress is slow due to my health. Hope you understand. Second apology is for this fill in chapter – just keeping things moving forward with our characters but no karamel tonight. Hope you still find something here to enjoy. XO. 
> 
> \--

 

Mon-El sat in the local bar, a single beer in hand as he most certainly did not drown his sorrows. It’s not like anything _bad_ had happened to him – the rest of the day with Kara had gone mostly fine. Things were a bit strained, sure, but the two of them carried on with their jokes and played it like nothing had even happened. They trekked to the top of the Lora Mountains, and at the summit, the spectacular view was even more glorious and beautiful than Mon-El thought possible. The sun was high and mighty, blinding in the way it cut a path through the deep valleys to their west, while glittering off what small glimpses of the river shyly emerged between trees and rocky elevations. After their short interlude admiring the deserted realm that blanketed the earth beneath them, Kara and Mon-El made their way back down the same track they’d ascended, though quieter and less ‘together’ than when they’d begun. Kara hid behind her camera mostly, and Mon-El felt the need to leave her be.

It had still stung a little, how one moment he was on cloud nine, and the next he’d come to realize his mistake. He managed to totally freak out the one person he wanted to actually spend time with, and as much as he had been walking on rock and solid ground all day, it felt more like eggshells that threatened to collapse beneath his feet. Unsure of himself, it seemed appropriate to let Kara settle and figure out what she wanted, which seemed to be a safe distance from _him_. He noticed that Kara sometimes forgot herself and pointed out sights and sounds that she wanted to share, asking him "do you see that?!" And "Isn’t it wonderful?”, before timidly lowering her posture and placing distance between them again.

Having agreed on ‘just friends’, Mon-El decided there was no harm in asking if Kara would like to join him for a few harmless drinks at their local bar, a place he’d been looking forward to visiting. She politely declined, of course, saying she was pretty tired and wanted to maybe edit some of the pictures she had taken that day. That was fair enough, they’d had a rather long outing that required some decent physical exertion, and he wasn’t at all surprised things were a bit awkward now – his fault for making a move too soon.

So he sat alone, melting into the familiar tang of pale lager while the muscles in his lower legs complained a bit from overuse. It was good to wind down this way, the tightness in his hamstrings easing as he drank.

The local watering hole was actually a pretty nice – a large bar that was not overly loud, but still lively, a few people finishing up a game of pool in the far corner while others sat at small tables, drinking and chatting to each other while they laughed and sunk beers. He supposed that on Saturday nights people didn’t have much else to do here – Linden Valley didn’t exactly have a nightlife or many other entertainment options in the evenings. Perhaps that was another reason why he found himself here tonight, or perhaps it was just out of pure habit, feelings of rejection still fresh on his mind and making small clenching motions in his chest.

A woman with dark hair promptly slid him another beer when he finished his current beverage, and seemed to be happily encouraging his spending habits, but mostly, she didn’t pay him any mind. It seemed she was currently... _distracted_ … apparently by another woman with dark hair across the room. On the other side of the bar, a woman in a dark jacket was laughing, surrounded by four men as they played a harmless round of cards. The bartender’s eyes flicked to the group often while she worked, placing freshly cleaned glasses in their place stacked neatly on a shelf, taking her time to complete the activity as she alternated between paying attention to her hands and looking above the counter to gaze across the room.

“You should ask her out,” Mon-El piped up, and probably should have kept his mouth shut seeing the utmost GLARE he got from the woman in response. “I mean… if you want to.” He shrugged and buried himself in his drink, unable to hold the stare of the brunette in front of him.

“I… I don’t know what you mean. Who?” She tried to play it off all cool, wiping down the benches.

“Nevermind. I must have read that wrong.” Mon-El shook his head and let his shoulders slump, since apparently, he had a knack for misinterpreting things today. He’d rather give the conversation a miss, since it didn’t look like the bartender was in any mood to chat with him.

“Ah… no... you didn’t. Sorry. You just caught me off guard. People don’t usually notice.”

“Oh?” Mon-El looked up again, met with the distracted gaze of the woman in front of him.

“How could you tell?” The bartender held another glass in hand as she dried it gently, her eyes still fixed over his shoulder towards the far window.

“Your focus is narrowed in, that’s all. Don’t worry, it’s not that obvious. And everyone seems to be doing their own thing so…” He trailed off, letting the sentence finish itself. It wasn’t a big deal, and the only reason he’d happened to catch the repetitive glances because he was currently alone and unoccupied.

“It’s just hard to uh… ask someone out… if you don’t know if they are uhm…” The brunette didn’t want to say the word outright, still not sure if she was comfortable admitting it to a complete stranger.

“If they are like you,” Mon-El spoke nonchalantly, easily catching on. Their conversation was veiled by the clamour of noise inside, so there was no risk of anyone overhearing them. Still, he was polite enough to understand the woman behind the bar wasn’t comfortable speaking of the subject openly.

She sighed. “Yeah.”

“Well. I can fix that.” Mon-El got up off his stool, deciding he might as well do some socializing and get to know a few of the locals. He knew how to be subtle, and was more than happy to try his luck dropping a hint or opportunity for people to connect. He started walking over to the corner table where a particularly rowdy bunch were enjoying their evening, hearing a hissing protest behind him.

“What are you doing? Hey! Oi!”

He ignored it, of course. Sometimes people just needed a little push. And he had nothing better to do than start making some friends and socialize. He’d played matchmaker a few times before and didn’t see why a round tonight couldn’t happen. Releasing his calm and charismatic side, Mon-El approached the table confidently.

“Hey. How’s it going?" He introduced himself easily with a warm smile and that laid-back charm that melted ice. “Mind if I join you?”

“Ahhh… who are you?” One of the men asked with a raised brow.

“Ah, yes. I’m the new guy in town. The name’s Mon-El.”

“Mon-El?” Three out of the five looked up with scrutiny on their faces, all speaking at once.

“Yep. I was the fortunate kid in class that got the weird name. You get used to it though,” Mon-El shrugged before turning his attention to the brunette the bartender had the hots for, extending a hand. “And you are?” The woman had an air of leadership to the group, which made it even easier to start with her if he was to gain any social acceptance from this particular circle it seemed.

“Maggie. Sawyer.” A firm handshake and equally fierce expression told Mon-El she was not one to be messed with. Interesting. “That's Bob and Carley. And Phil and Tank.”

“And you give me shit for my name? Tank?” Mon-El chuckled, earning a round of laughs from the others.

“He’s not as hardcore as the name suggests.” Phil nudged him with his elbow and then motioned over his shoulders and arms. “Don’t let the big muscles fool you. He’s a fucking softie.”

“Well, true or not, I won’t try my luck.” Mon-El smiled, implying that he wasn’t taking any chances. The guy looked like he could drop him in an instant.

“Well, you might as well sit down. Bring up a chair. Tell us, New Guy, what brings you to our neck of the woods?”

Mon-El nodded, accepting their welcome to join them. “Just on holiday for a while. Taking a break.” Mon-El dragged a chair to their booth to sit on the end, involving him in their conversation easily

“Oh? Where you from?”

“National City.”

“Damn. Rich kid. You famous or somethin’?” One of the other guys cut in to speak, though Mon-El had already forgotten his name.

“Hah, not at all. Though you are welcome to an autograph if you’d like…” He joked.

“Well, ya never know. Fella with a jawline like that…”

“Carley, lay off the new guy, man. You sound gay as hell.”

“I’m not gay, ya prick. Guy’s gotta nice jawline.” He argued.

“Is there something wrong with being gay?” Mon-El quipped, though his intentions on the question may have been more directed at the female in his periphery. He watched her flinch slightly – barely – and it seemed he was onto something. Maybe Miss Moody Bartender had a shot.

“Eh, you gay ar' ya new guy?”

Things felt a little tense suddenly, and perhaps it was still a controversial topic in a place like this, Mon-El wasn’t so sure. Thinking fast, he opted to smooth things over a bit. “Mmmm, sometimes I wish I was, women can be confusing as anything… supremely difficult creatures to understand if you ask me. But no, though I don’t have any issues with that kind of thing…” Mon-El shrugged and sipped his beer calmly, seeing how things would play out. Another guy, (Bob was it?) leaned forward to join in on the conversation.

“Now ain't that the truth. I asked the Missus if it was alright to go fishin’ all weekend with Phil here the other week, and she say’s it fine... and then throws a big huffy when I go right ahead and go fishin’. Says I shoulda realized she wanted me to stay home an' spent time with her.” He threw his hands up exasperated before rolling his eyes and reaching for his beer.

“And when you forget to take the trash out? Drama town.” One of the others nodded.

“You got a missus, New guy? Where’s the significant other?”

“No ‘missus.’ Not at the moment anyway.”

Maggie smirked and opened her mouth to say something, finally joining the conversation. She lowered her voice conspiratorially, like she was about to share some secret. “Well, there’s a redhead at your 8 o’clock that has been eyeing you intensely for the last three minutes. If you’re into that..."

“I’m ah… not really looking right now. Thanks though.” Mon-El struggled with all the attention, surprised that the group had welcomed him so readily. "I think I’ll grab another round. Anyone else want something? It’s on me.” He wasn’t really looking to be set up with anyone, that isn’t why he came to the bar though he could see that they were just being welcoming. The redirect was probably the easiest way to get out from under their attentions, since HE wasn’t the one that needed to get matched. Plus. He had a plan. If he was able to get the other brunette over – the bartender – perhaps she could strike up a conversation with this Maggie Sawyer. Surely it would only take a request for drinks to give her the opportunity.

“I’d never say no to a free beer,” Phil spoke.

“Sure I’m due for anotha!”

“Great.” Mon-El sat up straighter and waved, gesturing for the woman behind the bar to come over to them. She gave him another glare and questioning look before stalking over to them.

“Oh yeah, Alex is single. She’s a picky bitch, always turns downs our good efforts... but you, Mr Jawline, might get lucky..."

“Ale–?” Before Mon-El could ask which one was Alex, he realized she was already at their table. And that she was the moody brunette bartender.

“Yo! Alex our fave workaholic! What’s happening?” Phil greeted her warmly, clearly well aquatinted with the woman.

“Oh you know, Phil. Work. Beers. More work. The usual.” She shrugged before turning her attention to Maggie.

“How’s the station. Any juicy reports?”

“Well, no more bear attacks, so that’s a bonus. Not much in the ways of crime up here Danvers, same old same old.”

Wait. _Danvers??_ OF COURSE. _Alex. Danvers._ No way! Well Of course he would run into her sooner or later. Small town and all...

“And Carley shot a rat while he was on duty the other day, he was very proud of himself. Not sure if I'm supposed to punish him for that or not.” Maggie laughed, taking a small swig of her beer. “Service weapon to shoot pests… not really something they cover in the handbook.” She chuckled again, giving a casual shrug. “But nothing hugely interesting. Pretty boring actually.”

Carley jumped into the conversation before Alex could answer. “Bet this new guy ain't ever shot a rat before though. You shoulda seen it! One minute this thing was scuttling across the top of the fence outside the station, then BOOM! Out like a light!” He made a gun with his fingers, gesturing wildly as he retold the story. "Or bears? Have ya ever even seen a bear new guy?”

“Ah… no. Can’t say that I have.” Mon-El replied awkwardly, trying to signal to Alex to take an opportunity when she saw one. He redirected his attention back her, politely making a request. “Hey ahh… can we grab a round for the table? It’s on me.” He gave Alex a pointed look, hoping she would take the hint.

“Sure thing. Anything else?”

“Nah, we good.” Phil smiled, while Mon-El subtly kicked the woman's shoe out of sight from the others. She looked at him. And he looked at her.

Alex tensed a little before giving in, inwardly rolling her eyes. “Hey Mags… Want to play a round of pool? Might as well have that re-match while not much is happening.”

“You sure? Kinda full tonight, don’t want you getting in trouble with the big boss again like the last time.”

“Like I care, goody two shoes.”

“Well, I do uphold the law for a living, Danvers...”

“So you’re admitting defeat then? You didn’t strike me the type.”

“Hey, we both know I still win on regular occasions. I can beat you if you really want that.”

Mon-El just watched as their back and forth continued.

“The latest games don’t exactly point to your pooling prowess. You’d better back up your claim.” Alex crossed her arms over her chest, holding her ground. Mon-El was surprised that the two women clearly knew each other rather well, though inwardly he kicked himself for his stupid assumptions. He often forgot that he was in a place that was small. The people knew each other here.

“Yeah, alright then.” Maggie finally gave in, removing her jacket to reveal a casual shirt underneath, clearly out of uniform and done for the week. "And we can leave the boys to their shit-talk and what-not.”

Alex nodded. “Cool. I’ll just grab these beers and be right over.”

“My money’s on Danvers!” The men started goading their co-worker by insisting Sawyer would lose, laughing and throwing joking remarks at her while she threw them right back.

“You can’t even sink a ball, Carley. And I mean that in more ways than one...”

“Ohhhh shiiit. Carley getting roasted tonight!”

“Hey shut up, Tank. Like you are gettin' any.”

“Please. The missus puts out just fine, thank you.”

“Oh for fuck's sake,” Maggie got up and shoved past Mon-El, leaving them to their ‘boys talk’. “See ya round, New guy.”

“Enjoy.” He smiled to himself, hoping that if it really was Alex, he’d maybe get in the good books with big sister for giving her the opportunity to spend some time with Maggie.

 

*

 

Alex looked over at the strange ’new guy’ already laughing with Maggie’s co-workers as she walked towards the pool table where Mags was setting up their game of pool. She threw a last look over her shoulder towards the charismatic male, puzzled as to who he was, when he met her gaze and sent her a quick wink, making her roll her eyes in return. She spent plenty of time with Mags, and this was just another game of pool – something they did often. It wasn't going to change anything between them. She didn’t have high hopes and definitely didn’t plan on ‘asking her out’ like the new guy had suggested. Why would she want to mess up what she already had? This was easy. Safe. And especially in a town so small, things could get disastrous very quickly if she didn’t maintain the status quo. EVERYONE would know if things went sour between the two of them, so it just wasn’t worth it to risk a fallout. Plus, working at the bar would be complete shit if she ruined her friendship with Maggie. It would just be awkward and weird if she had to serve her and the boys if they all knew she had an unrequited thing for their coworker.

Anyway. It wasn’t like things could go anywhere, not when she lived with her sister. How was she suppose to invite someone into her life, their lives, when she couldn’t even invite someone into their home?

“You can break,” Maggie passed her a cue stick, breaking her out of her thoughts. “If you lose, you can buy me dinner sometime.” She shrugged, before reaching for her bottle of beer.

“Huh?” Alex blinked, her mind caught between the present and her prattling thoughts. Maggie’s sentence suddenly pulled together and made sense, bringing her to a sudden and shocking awareness that perhaps… she was being asked out. What? Maggie was asking _her_ out? So casually? Had she imagined it?

“I said if you lose, you can buy me dinner sometime,” Maggie repeated, having genuinely thought that Alex didn’t hear her the first time.

“I’m not going to lose!” Alex saved herself quickly, not sure she was prepared for this conversation. She was definitely not ready for this conversation. What?

“Confident. Well, we will see about that Danvers...” Maggie took a step back to allow the other woman space to position herself next to the pool table, gesturing for Alex to go right ahead. They began to play, though Alex was at a loss as to where to start their conversation. Lucky for her, Mags continued to speak. “So how’s your sister? She’s a bit of a recluse… don’t see much of her around. You’d think she’d come here more often seeing as you work here."

The words stung, though they weren’t intended to be offensive. Alex knew her sister _was_ a bit of a recluse, but not in a weird way or a bad way. She was still intelligent and kind, and her social skills weren’t even that bad, for someone that struggled with how to manage a double life and shitty upbringing. Instead of defending her sister, which may lead to more questions, Alex bit down hard to keep her cool. “Kara’s just… chill. I mean, we do live in Linden. You didn’t move here for the nightlife, did you?”

“True. Not much happening’ here.”

“So... Why’d you come?” Alex took another shot, missing the corner pocket by the slimmest of margins. She was aware Maggie hadn’t been in town all that long, a year perhaps? And it didn’t sound like she intended to stay.

“I dunno. Something different. Like a working holiday, I guess.”

“I get that. Escaping something?”

“Something like that…”

 

*

 

Mon-El switched from beer to club soda at some point during the evening to sober up, knowing he had to drive home since things like taxis didn’t really exist here. He wasn’t sure how the other males intended to get home, though he suspected they’d have their partners pick them up when they’d finally reached their limit, or even get ‘Sawyer’ to drive them home, as they called her. It was far later than he intended to stay out, but he was fascinated by talk of such nonsensical things like the annual salmon run that took place slightly further north, and was definitely engrossed in the search-and-rescue type stories that seemed to be a common occurrence – mostly because of ‘lousy tourists’ that didn’t understand the obscure holiday destination they’d picked for a weekend of camping. He was happy to hear that as inconvenient as the men made their job sound, there were undertones to the way they spoke that showed glimpses of real drive to help people. Subtleties in the way they expressed relief during their dramatic retellings of saving a young boy from hypothermia, or pulling a woman unharmed from a car that had gone over a bank. Mon-El was thankful that between all the jokes and boyish behaviours, these were clearly good and decent people, just making their way like everyone else.

“A real shame about that bear attack though. Not as common down our ways.” One of the guys spoke wistfully into his drink, while the others hummed in response.

“Do you get wolves here?” Mon-El asked, seeing an opportunity to ask about the strange creature that had been visiting him.

“Wolves? Not so much, thank goodness. Ugh, vicious things! Good reason we stay down this way and not up with the wild roamers. They stay up north where they belong.”

“So… you haven’t seen one? Ever?”

“I mean, once. A long dry summer might of pushed a lot of wildlife down towards our lakes and shit. And distant glimpses, the ones that make you think you imagined it. But nothing up close."

"I seen one." Carley nodded, his ears perking up at the opportunity to share.

"Really?" Mon-El leaned forward, thinking that perhaps he wasn't so crazy for asking about it.

“Yeah. One of the locals shot it. Good riddance! The fur is actually on one of the walls o'er there.” He lifted his beer up in one hand, as if to salute a victorious win, gesturing across the bar.

Mon-El flinched in surprise, before he raised his eyes to the wooden panelling across the room, only now noticing that it held ornamental trophies on it. His gut clenched with vehement disgust at the sigh of antlers from a stag gracing the wall, and the thick grey fur of a large wolf next to it. He knew it was part of the lifestyle here, and usually, it didn’t bother him. But a large part of him felt pity. This wasn't exactly where he wanted the conversation to lead.

“Pretty impressive, huh, New Guy?"

“I guess.” Mon-El shrugged, uncomfortable with glorifying the killing of such a beautiful animal. It would be a shame if his Moonlight became a wall hanging.

“Ugh, city-slicker. No appreciation.”

“It’s just not something I’m used to,” Mon-El replied sadly. "I mean no disrespect."

“Don’t ya worry, New Guy. We know you ain't from here. At least there’s not much around our ways that'll eat ya. You’ll get back to your precious big city in one bit.”

“Thanks,” Mon-El replied, feeling suddenly a bit sullen and tired. Perhaps he’d better call it a night. “Well, I think I’m going to turn in and get some rest. Still a bit sore from my hike today. I’ve enjoyed a nice few drinks, and I apologize that I’m not better at cards. But I’ve had a wonderful time. You’ve all been very welcoming.”

“No worries, man. You're good with the banter. Hey, ya need a lift home? The missus will be by in 'bout an hour if you want?"

“I’m alright to drive. It’s been a while since my last drink. But thank you for the offer." Mon-El was polite, though no longer in the mood to socialize.

“Don’t go hitting any trees, aye? I’m off shift. Don’t want a call out on my night off.”

“Don’t worry about me. You all just worry about getting yourself home in one piece,” Mon-El chuckled as Carley tossed his head back and finished what was left in his glass. "And may I recommend no fishing this weekend..."

“We'll see." He winked, a bright kind of smile plastered on his face that reflected his alcohol consumption. "Nice meeting ya."

"And you." Collecting what empty glasses he could from the table, Mon-El thanked them once more for allowing him to stop by and enjoy a few conversations and jokes with them. Alex was still talking to Maggie after finishing their second or third game of pool, just next to the bar by themselves as Alex ‘worked’. He might as well help out a bit and take their glasses up to the counter as he went to pay for whatever was left.

"Tell us if you ask Alex out, eh? We’ve been trying to set her up with someone for ages.”

“Hah, I don’t really think I’m her type.” Mon-El walked backwards from the table, manoeuvring around his chair and sending them all a small wave with his fingers while managing to keep ahold on the glasses in hand, before turning around and finally leaving them be.

“...So you’re into blondes then, are ya'?” One of them called out after him.

“Something like that!"

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note about the names. 
> 
> Leah Luar is both Lena and Mon-Els mother (OC. We meet her later.) Luar us her maiden name. 
> 
> Lena Luthor is from her mothers first marriage (to a Luthor, hence the name Lena Luthor)
> 
> Mon-El is from her second serious relationship, post divorce, but she never remarried her new partner. *Bonus - his father was Lar Gand. ;) technically his name should be hyphenated to Mon-El Luar-Gand but he dropped the Gand when his father left them. 
> 
> Leah was taken from a mix between Lillian and Rhea. (But she is lovely. Nithig like our two villainesses.) and you already know why i chose Luar translation: Moonlight as the last name.
> 
> Hope that makes sense. Happy reading.


	11. Regret.

 

 

Kara left the house shortly after dark, leaping off the deck and pacing gracefully down her well-worn path towards the lake. She regretted that she’d pushed Mon-El away, and felt a lot more disappointed than she’d expected. The rest of their day hiking had gone mostly fine – Mon-El had still treated her kindly, thrown in his typical jokes and a bit of teasing – but there was something off about him from the moment she had made things... awkward. Mostly, she hid behind her camera, that’s where she was comfortable and Mon-El appeared to be quite happy to just leave her to wander off the path, admiring details and adjusting camera settings. He was content to give her space.

It was somewhat quieter and less social on their way back down to the car, but Mon-El seemed to enjoy their walk, taking in the raw and beautiful surroundings with wonderment and silent appreciation. Whatever he was thinking, had mostly kept to himself.

They didn’t talk much on the drive back either, though Mon-El had asked her if she wanted to have a few drinks at the bar with him. Of course, she had to decline his offer due to the falling of the sun, but it was probably better that way anyhow. She needed time to get her thoughts together and mope a little bit in peace. Wallow in self-pity and chocolate.

Tonight, though, despite her best intentions _not_ to go see him, now that she was stuck on all fours, a part of her wanted the opportunity to enjoy his company without the restraints and awkwardness that came with being a stupid, fumbling human. At least in this form, she could… visit... sort of. And if Mon-El let her, she could spend a bit more time with him freely, her problematic and embarrassing social difficulties forgotten.

Kara slowed to listen for other people or animals around her, letting her sharp senses take over as she felt wind shift the fur around her collar. It was a quiet night. Soulless. Following her own tracks, she noticed the way to Mon-El’s lake house was now starting to show, indentations in the dirt from her frequent back and forth between the Danvers household and Mon-El's. Quickly deciding to alter course, Kara picked out a new path so that the wearing away of earth wouldn’t become obvious. Damp moss tickled her nose, as did the crisp and unique scent of freshwater from the lake, calming her mood even more. As much as she hated being like this, whenever she shifted, she realized there was also something wonderful about it.

A hundred meters off from the house, Kara fixed her line of sight through the trees only to find the porch light was on, but the rest of the cabin was dark inside. It seemed strange for how early it was, considering it wasn’t _that_ late, but as she approached, she got the sinking feeling that Mon-El was perhaps already asleep. Jumping up onto the porch, there was a small bowl of water set down next to the door. Was that for her? Curious.

Looking around, there were no other signs of life other than the crickets in the grass, and from the quiet darkness, it was obvious she wouldn’t be seeing Mon-El tonight. Kara felt her chest become heavy with disappointment, laying down on the deck to sulk. It was stupid, but she just wanted to see him again. To hear him really talk to her, like he did sometimes in this form, or how he did before she had… done that _thing,_  which was quite obviously, reject him. It’s not at all what she wanted, and if she had a choice, she would have taken that leap with him. She trusted him. Found him interesting and kind and funny. Ugh! Why was she like this?! It wasn’t fair! She’d done nothing to deserve a fate of lonely and deserted misery, this isolated hardship and burden that not only SHE had to endure, but had brought onto Alex as well. Her sister was the one person in the world who had stayed by her side, and now she too, was subjected to the trouble and headaches all this caused. Was Rao cruel? Was she just supposed to fucking live like this forever?! It made no sense! Why did _they_ deserve to be abandoned, wrestling for survival and forced into hiding. It wasn’t fucking FAIR!!!

Kara got up, her mood having quickly dissipated into distress and frustration. She would just go home to her shitty life in her shitty house in this shitty town. _Alone._ That’s all she deserved, apparently. Leaping off the porch, Kara looked up and tried to focus on where she was going in the dark, only now noticing the obviously EMPTY driveway. Of fucking _course!_ Mon-El still went to the bar… _without her_ … because she had said no to him. Which she had only done because she _had to_ and had no other options except THIS – to be stuck fluffing around with four legs and a tail. He was probably chatting up some gorgeous woman over beer and laughing and being his charming beautiful self. Of course he would. He was fucking _gorgeous_ and it didn’t take a genius to know Mon-El would be snapped up by someone else at first opportunity. She’d lost her chance.

The bitterness on her tongue and ringing in her ears increased with her distress, the strange tingling in her muscles suddenly forging into pain. Kara yelped as she stumbled and couldn’t focus, unable to control her legs properly as they spasmed. What the hell?! What the heck was happening?! She started to panic, her head throbbing in time with the racing pulse and pounding of her heart, trying to clear her vision of the bright spots making her dizzy. There something familiar about the pain in her legs that only happened… _during her shift_. What?! But the sun was already down. It was late evening, nowhere NEAR sunrise! WHAT THE FUCK WAS HAPPENING?!!

She tried to break out into a run, suddenly needing to get home, get to Alex, get to _safety._  But she was struggling to stay upright or move in a straight line. Blinking hard, she continued to clumsily stagger about, terrified that something was wrong with her. Aghhhh! why was her vision so BRIGHT?!

 

*

 

Mon-El was at least 99% sure he’d sobered up, and during his drive home, discovered there were NO decent radio stations to listen to, just some boring shit disrupted by the constant dropping in and out of radio frequency. Flicking through stations, he was met with static and noise, or nothing. Was there anything normal about this place? He rolled his eyes and switched it back to the boring ass shit that was playing on the ONE station he could get, as he pulled into his long driveway, glad to finally be home. He’d enjoyed his time at the local bar, met a few friendly faces… but they weren’t really who he wanted to see. Never mind, he’d made the most of it anyhow, and was now ready for a good nights sleep.

His radio crackled loudly again, hissing at him with its stupid static causing him to reach down to just shut the stupid thing off. He was home anyhow.

The last thing he expected as he looked up was to be thrown into sudden dismay – A flash of white. The screech as he slammed on his brakes. A distinct and loud _thud._

What the HECK was that?! Mon-El jumped out of his car, and knew right then and there that he had hit something. His heart raced as a myriad of thoughts crossed his mind all at once in a split second; was it a person? Would he get arrested and have to explain that he was definitely not drunk or unable to drive or.. fuck… what if he’d hurt them real bad? Shit shit shit shit shit.

Rushing around to the front of his car, Mon-El was stunned. There _she_ was, his favourite mystery wolf, shivering and yelping on the ground. Her miserable whimpers indicated that he’d injured the beautiful animal in front of him, taking shallow pained breaths on the ground.

Flooded with ravenous guilt, Mon-El forgot to be cautious, and instead quickly made his way to crouch next to the injured wolf, hoping like hell he hadn’t broken its leg. Did they have a vet here? Who the heck was he meant to call in a situation like this?

Mon-El tried to remain calm as the animal just whimpered, making small heartbreaking yelps every few seconds. "Fuck I'm so sorry. I didn't even see you till it was too late.” He felt his insides twist up, his throat tight as he tried to think what to do. “How bad is it, girl?”

She continued to whine, struggling to get up but failing, crying out in pain and forced to stay laying on her side.

“Shit, I’m so sorry. Fuck. What do I do?”

Mon-El groaned, hopelessly out of his depth when it came to a situation as ridiculous as this one.

“I’m not really sure how to move you without hurting you more. But… I can’t just leave you out here injured…”

Mon-El’s mind continued to race as he reached out to see if the wolf would let him touch it, surprised that it didn’t bite his hand off as he tried to calm her down. “You’re okay. I know it hurts. I’m sorry. You’re okay...” Mon-El made timid, soothing strokes down the length of her neck, hoping not to scare her into scrambling up again and injuring herself more. “Maybe… maybe we can… strap that up or something. Yeah?” There was no blood, thank goodness, so hopefully the injury would be limited to a small fracture at most. It was like… like a sports injury, right? Sprain, strain, fracture… strap it up, support it. Ice. Elevation. Okay, he wasn’t sure how those were going to work in this situation. This was nothing like a sports injury.

“Ahhh… maybe… uhm. I can look something up on my phone. You’re alright. You only got hit by my car, okay?” Mon-El figured she couldn’t understand a word he was saying, so as long as he kept his voice gentle then perhaps she would stay calm. She turned to him and gave a small growl, low and sombre, before it changed back into a whimper.

“Right. Yes. That was my bad. Totally my fault. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean it...” Mon-El crossed his legs, stroking down the length of her neck as he pulled his phone out to browse online quickly, not that there would be an instruction manual for what to do in this situation. He watched a few youtube videos, and after some quick research figured out how best to bind the hind leg of an injured German Shepherd…. As close as he was going to get for how to help out Moonlight. He figured that was the best he could do, and considering she was technically a wolf, after what he had seen in the bar he didn’t exactly trust anyone not to just shoot her and take her fur as a trophy if he tried to get her real help.

"I’ve got a first aid kit in the house, okay? I’ll be back”

Mon-El got up and took off up to the house, rifling through cupboards full of dust and cobwebs and emptying drawers. Searching the bathroom, he finally found what he was looking for in the bottom drawer and pulled out an old and probably way outdated first aid kit. Making his way back to his injured friend, he took with him a small worn blanket along with his first aid supplies, just in case, or something… he wasn’t really sure what he was doing.

As he approached, Mon-El slowed down his movements to not upset Moonlight, taking a deep breath and sitting back down next to her. He pulled the bag open calmly and dug through it for strapping tape and a pair of scissors, silently praying that this would work and not make things any worse.

“Okay. How are we gonna do this?”

He knew what he needed to do, playing it out in his mind: Loop at the top. Loop at the bottom. Support the tendon and hinder movement. Stop her from moving around too much. Okay.

“So… you’re not supposed to get up or run around for a little while, okay? This will heal up just fine, but you gotta try not to use your leg too much, yeah? Mon-El reached out and stroked Moonlight again, steady, placid movements down her neck. Her breathing had slowed, her chest rising and falling as she stayed still and quiet. “Good, that’s… good. Can’t be too bad if you’re no longer complaining right?” Mon-El remained hopeful, inspecting her leg for where he was going to bind it.

“Now comes the bad bit, okay? I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to help. Alright?” Mon-El moved closer to her hindquarters, but the moment he touched her left hind leg, she flicked her head around sharply and snapped at him, clashing her teeth together.

“Shit. Sorry. I know it hurts. But you gotta let me help. Please?”

He tried again, and the same thing. This time, she gave a warning growl first, but when he tried to help, snapped at him again though she didn’t actually bite his hand.

“I can’t help you if you keep doing that,” Mon-El complained.

The rumbling in Moonlight's chest remained, a warning not to touch her again that caused his hands to shake slightly.

He moved back to stroking down her neck and decided to wait a little longer. Crossing his legs under him, he sat leaning against the bonnet of his car, stunned when she moved her head to settled in his lap. They stayed like that for a few minutes, hopefully building trust. Maybe if he gained that, he could try again. The minutes passed as he caressed her thick fur, quietly winning her over while trying to keep calm. After a while he decided to try again.

“If you don’t want me to do it… that’s fine. But I’m still gonna try. Okay? Will you let me?” Mon-El asked, sighing at his own absurd line of questioning. Holding his breath, Mon-El moved her off his lap gently, and started to move to a position he would be able to better access Moonlight's hind leg. She eyed him the whole time, beginning to growl again. “Oh come on, I haven’t even tried it yet!” He grumbled, stopping his movements.

It became apparent that his efforts were for nought, and he wasn’t going to get anywhere and keep all his fingers if he kept trying. Giving up, he sat defeated on the ground, leaning his back against the bonnet of his car again. “Fine. You win. But I did try. So I still get points for that.”

Moonlight huffed, laying her head back down on the driveway. She noticeably relaxed, just doing nothing.

"So you just gonna lay here, huh? Now what?"

She ignored him, quietly breathing and making no effort to move.

“Well. Do you want this at least?” Mon-El offered the blanket, holding it up and moving it ever so slowly towards her. When she didn’t lash out, he settled it over most of her body, not that she needed it. Her thick coat looked plenty warm enough.

"You know. I kinda thought today was gonna be a really good day. I'd been looking forward to it. Things don't always turn out so crash hot though, do they, girl?” He continued to make conversation, somewhere between annoyed and still guilty that he’d screwed up so much in one day.

They sat in silence for a while, nothing but the distant porch light to keep them from being in utter darkness. Mon-El pulled his jacket hood up and crossed his arms to keep warm, not sure he wanted to leave his wolf friend outside all by herself. Mulling over his day, he wondered how exactly he ended up in this strange place – an undisturbed little town with barely anything going on. People with strange accents that drank shitty beer and lived their lives in peace, content with what little they had.  And a beautiful woman and her sister, tackling the world together on the edge of nowhere. 

After a long time, Mon-El ended up speaking again, with nothing better to do.

“You know. Today wasn’t even that bad. I Saw the most amazing things. A waterfall from underneath. These cool blue rocks settled in among the rest that kinda looked like crystals. Even the plants are different here." Mon-El sighed. "A pretty nice home you've got, huh?” 

It wasn't half bad, he guessed. It was a nice hike and nice day that he had mostly enjoyed. The scenery was wonderful and nothing like back in National City. He didn’t remember much except the lake, so to see some of the natural splendor was breathtaking. He just couldn’t get his mind off Kara and the stupid thing he’d done to make her freak out and shrivel back inside herself.

“There's just this.. this one thing." He began. "So, you see… there’s... this girl. Now, don’t be jealous okay? You’re still my girl too. But… I really like her. Like, worse than high-school-crush bad. And well… I maybe uhh.. made a move on her today. It didn’t go well, let’s just put it that way." He sighed again. "And I mean, I get it... It was totally my own fault for thinking she'd be okay with it. She's got some trust issues and insecurities from her parents 'abandoning' her when she was young and I imagine she doesn't find it easy to get close to other people. Even though it wasn't their choice or anyone's fault. A tragic accident can still seem like abandonment, you know? Does things to a person. But she's been playful and flirty and I don't think she even means to do it – she _did_ call me gorgeous and admit that much. So I kinda thought maybe... I dunno." 

Mon-El let out a long breath, not sure why he was admitting this all out loud to Moonlight.

"I don't usually fall hard and fast it anything. I guess I was just caught up in this beautiful moment and did a dumb thing.”

Kara gave a little sulking sound, trying to sympathize with him. She wasn’t aware just how much Mon-El had been thinking about it all.

“Hey, don't worry. You're still my girl. Just don't tell Kara, alright? It will be our little secret.” He stroked her soft ears with his thumb, smiling slightly. "She didn't want me to name you, but we can just keep that between us. I'm gonna call you Moonlight, that cool?"

Kara growled in response.

"What? You really don't like it?"

She growled again. A low rumble to make her point.

“You're as stubborn as Kara.” Mon-El rolled his eyes. It was strange that this wolf appeared so tame. But maybe since he tried to be calm with her and gave her food, she’d grown to like him. Kara definitely wouldn’t approve, what with this wolf supposedly being wild and all.

Moonlight nudged his hand out of the way to move closer and snuggle up to his side, and he kinda wanted Kara to see this. Wild? Hardly. She was soft and beautiful and maybe not quite appropriate for a pet, but he did think they were making progress with trust. He wondered if maybe others in the town knew of her, if she was friendly with other people too. Perhaps he could ask the guy from the bar or something.

"Well. At least I have you I guess." He complained. "I'm not sure Kara really wants to be around me after I freaked her out. I think I lost my chance.”

He continued to contemplate and think over his day, just enjoying the company of his favourite mystery wolf.

_Oh, If only he knew._

 

_\--_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to know the reasoning behind Kara refusing to have her leg strapped up, don't worry you'll get the answer next chapter. Which is also basically finished. You'll get it soon x.


	12. The fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short ish chapter to keep things moving. Trying to get this stupid story done and dusted. Sigh. Not taking my time with this fic or having it beta-ed or anything. So just roll with it. 
> 
> xx

 

 

Sitting on the couch with her laptop, Kara was in the middle of edits when she heard Alex clamber down the stairs ungracefully, her feet hitting the wooden floors with dull thumps. Since she knew Alex would need a coffee or two before starting a conversation was even a _remotely_ good idea, she simply chose to just focus on what she was doing and keep her mouth shut.

Alex stumbled around in the kitchen for a while, finding the new coffee tin and a mug before putting three heaped teaspoons of brown power in a bottom. She yawned, opened the fridge for some milk, and rubbed her eyes.

"Morning, K-bear. Well. Afternoon. I think...” She yawned again, testing the side of the kettle with the back of her hand to see if the water was still hot.

“Hey, Sis,” Kara called from her place across the living area, intently focused on the screen in front of her, while trying to draw the least amount of attention to herself as possible.

Alex stood in the kitchen, waiting for the water to boil again after noticing it wasn’t hot enough for her coffee. She wasn’t too tired, courtesy of a good nights sleep and long lazy morning, but the things that needed doing around the house and mental notes she’d made were already battling for attention, despite the fact she’d not yet had her caffeine fix. Luckily, she didn’t have a shift at the diner today, but did still have to go to the bar. “Oh, uhm. Is your car still acting up?” She called over to Kara, sorting her day out.

“Ugh, Yeah. I dunno what the hell is wrong with it.” Kara rolled her eyes, having forgotten about _that_ tiny little problem in the wake of everything _else_ that had happened and was currently weighing on her mind.

“It’s old. That’s what’s wrong with it.” Alex mumbled.

“It still goes… sometimes. It’s just… temperamental and seems like the engine is flooding all the time. I dunno.” Kara shrugged. She wasn’t big on cars and good with mechanical things like Alex. Alex was good at basically everything.

“Well, I’ll give Carley a call and see if he can take a look at the fuel injectors and air filter for you, maybe there’s something wrong with the O2 sensor... but for now you’ll have to walk. I have another shift later on today at the bar – just some cleaning and maintenance jobs, so I can’t let you borrow, sorry.” She finally poured herself a hot coffee and dropped her spoon in the sink, before wandering over to join Kara.

“That's fine. I’m pretty tired from yesterday actually, so I’m just going to stay home and edit.” Kara continued to work, hoping that Alex would be too tired and distracted to notice the real reason she wasn’t going anywhere today. She had hidden the painkillers she’d taken in droves back up on the top shelf where they belonged, making sure not to leave any indication that she was currently injured. She was sitting down, so it wasn’t too obvious that she was struggling to walk on her left leg. If Alex found out she’d gotten yet _another_ injury while out at nighttime in her wolf form, the older Danvers would probably put her on curfew for basically forever. She only needed a day or two – for some reason, whatever strange genetics gave her the ability to shapeshift also made her injuries heal super fast, though that didn’t really make Alex any less overbearing and angered when she was stupid enough to get herself hurt.

Most of the time, Kara didn’t really mind walking places – it’s what she did on weekends to save on gas and keep occupied, but that wasn’t going to happen today with barely being able to stand. Hopefully Alex would be leaving the house soon so she didn’t have to hide it much longer.

  
"You were out late last night…” Alex seemed to read her mind. Usually, she was asleep by the time her sister got home from a Saturday night at Chrysler. Unfortunately she had to wait a while for her injury to start healing up, before she limped home at some point when Mon-El was drifting in and out of sleep. He had kept her company, leaning against his car while sitting on the ground, and had stolen his blanket back from her at some point while trying to stay awake. It was nice of him – that he would sacrifice a bit of comfort to stay out in the cold, probably to ease his guilt for slamming into her and fucking up her leg. But she didn’t want him to have to stay out all night, and the moment she was able, dragged herself up and got herself home. By the time she had wandered in at some hellish hour, Alex was already back from the bar, so of course she noticed her missing sister before she went to bed.

Kara had no other options but to lie.

“Yeah, sorry, I couldn’t sleep. Went for a wander. You know me…” Kara continued to flick through photos, hoping Alex would go out soon. “You needn’t worry.” She gave a dull smile, hoping to be convincing.

“How was it?” Alex asked, gripping her mug and wandering over to the couch, sitting down next to her younger sibling to sneak a peek at the photographs she currently was working on.

“Uhh… last night?”

“No, I mean your hike yesterday. Nice pics you got there.” Alex nodded at the screen.

_Oh thank goodness._ She didn’t have enough brain power to think up what she could have possibly been doing last night to come home late. “It was okay,” Kara sighed, having not slept much between her heightened emotions and then getting hit by a fucking car. She contemplated telling her older sister about the weird panic attack she had, but then she would have to explain how it happened and when and why… leading to other questions as to her whereabouts that she was not at all willing to answer right now. So much had happened in one day that her mind was in turmoil. All of it either having to do with being a wolf, or Mon-El.

“Just okay?” Alex pressed, sipping her coffee blissfully unaware of the torment her sister was currently undergoing. She leaned back into the couch, relaxing into the bitter delight that was a morning cup of coffee.

“Mmmhmmm.” Kara kept her mouth shut, mumbling.

“So nothing interesting happened then?” Alex leaned forward to put her mug down, just about jumping out of her skin with Kara suddenly slammed the laptop shut.

“He tried to kiss me!” Kara blurted out, unable to think straight or do anything other than burst into a torrent of words.

"Huh?”

“He tried to kiss me and I didn’t let him and I kind of regret it like really regret it but I also don’t because I shouldn’t let him kiss me even though I wanted him to but it just wasn’t… I couldn’t…"

“ _Woahhh._ Woah.” Alex blinked a few times and tried to catch up. So many _words._ So much. _Information_. “…Who now?” Bloody hell it was hard to keep up with her sister sometimes.

Kara groaned, giving in to her emotions. “ _Mon-El_. The guy I had coffee with. And went to breakfast with. We’ve… we’ve been talking. On the phone. And seeing each other. And... he’s really nice. And I really like him.”

“Okay… and you went… hiking with him? You didn’t tell me he was going with you.”

“I didn’t want you to think we were… I dunno...”

“Starting something. Which clearly you already have.” Alex implied, rolling her eyes.

“No. We didn’t. I stopped it.”

“Uhm. Okay…?” Alex was confused and still slightly asleep, though it was clear that Kara was distressed. “So you’ve been hanging out with this guy and talking to him... And you like him. And spent the day together yesterday… and he tried to kiss you.”

“YES!!”

“Alright! I’m just… catching up. Calm down.”

“I can’t calm down! What if I ruined everything?!”

“Geez Kara, do you have to be so dramatic?"

"He... I..."

“Let me get this straight. You like the guy, but when he made a move on you, you shut it down."

“Yes…?" Kara admitted with defeat, burying her face in her hands.

“Well, that was stupid."

"Alex. You're not helping.” She mumbled into her hands, groaning again.

“Well, I don't know about you, but usually that's the ideal outcome."

"But I can't be with him. He is only here for a little while. I don’t know. I’ve never done this before.” Kara continued to whine, appalled that she couldn’t get emotions under control today.

“Uhhh… have you ever heard of long distance? In fact, with your situation... It would probably be the best thing. Might actually work. Unless you want him to know you’re a–"

“ _–Don’t_. Don’t. It can never work. What am I suppose do... be someone's girlfriend during the daytime and disappear at night?"

"Well. No offence, you don't have any other options, Kara. This is your life, and you want someone in it you'll have to make do as best you can."

"I can’t."

"Why not? Why not just try something different? You don’t really have friends, K-bear. People in your life. It will be good for you.” Alex thought back to how Maggie had been prying about Kara and seemed weirded out that her younger sibling was such a recluse. She tried not to feel bad about it, Kara had always been a bit of a loner… but when people pointed it out, she wanted something more for her sister. It was hard trying to explain that her sister just did her own thing, and was actually a pretty normal and decent person. Kara’s lack of socializing raised questions as to if she was unstable or abnormal or something, which admittedly made Alex occasionally embarrassed during times it was brought up. It was hard to admit that, and she knew there was nothing wrong with Kara. It was just the way things were, and no one would really be able to understand their situation from the outside not knowing what they knew. She heard Kara sigh loudly, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"I just…. I Can't.” Kara shook her head and instantly regretted bringing up Mon-El. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to… have that. People in my life I mean.”

“Sure you can."

Kara just grumbled in response. “Can we just… not talk about it?"

“Alright. You’re the one that brought it up.” She watched Kara’s eyes narrow and quickly averted course. “But sure, we can… talk about something else. Just maybe think about what you truly want though, okay? You said you regret whatever happened yesterday. If you shut down every opportunity you get…"

"I'll be alone. Yeah. Got it. Thanks for reminding me."

“Sorry."

"It's okay. I’m used to it.” Kara spoke bitterly and tugged on the blanket that was over the couch, even though it wasn’t cold. She suddenly felt the need for comfort, unconsciously covering herself with it to feel a bit better. "How was work?” She mumbled.

“It was fine. The boys were in with Mags and I played a few rounds of pool with her. There were a couple tourist groups passing through, getting rowdy, that sort of thing. But that's your standard Saturday night. Lots of fresh faces which is good for cash flow."

“Well, that’s good.”

“Yeah. And some guy tried to set me up with Maggie.” Alex muttered.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. But hey, I'm not the only one who noticed! So there’s that.”

“Yeah, whatever. I dunno. The guy that mentioned it was kinda weird for a little while – alone at the bar for ages looking all sullen and then just suddenly out of nowhere decided I should ask her out. Who does that?”

“Maybe he was just trying to start a conversation.”

“Meh, I guess. Though he seemed to get on with the boys actually. He made friends eventually. Was listening to them tell their stupid stories about that time Tank got chased down the road by a goat. I dunno why, but Carley loves telling that story. I think it’s permanently burned into my brain the number of times he’s re-enacted that. The new guy was clearly was not at all used to the local things, but was rather intrigued."

"Tourists are a bit like that. They have no idea what it’s like to live in the middle of nowhere," Kara chuckled.

"At least he got along well with everyone. Unlike some other nutcase that was a sexist prick to Mags. I just about ripped his throat out."

“Ugh. You should have.”

“Nah, I just went super light on his drinks all night so he had to buy more to get buzzed. Arsehole.”

“Well, that works too.”

“More cash.” Alex winked.

"Wait. The uhm… the guy,” Kara backtracked. "That tried to set you up with Maggie. Was he... with one of the tourist groups?"

"Mmmm. No, seemed like he was a lone wolf."

“ _Alex_.” Kara warned.

"Shit, sorry. I mean, he seemed... to be by himself."

"Brown hair, kinda… really nice arms? Attractive?"

“I mean, I can see how a straight person would think that. The boys were alternating between calling him "new guy” and "Mr Jawline" all night. Why?"

“Just… wondering. It was… uhm. That was probably him…” Kara frowned, pulling at threads on her sweater. “Mon-El, I mean."

"Oh. Wow. Okay… yeah… I can see how you’d fall for him.”

“You can?”

“No.”

“ _Rude!_ ” Kara barked at her sister, getting a teasing laugh in response.

“Sorry, you’re just so touchy this morning.” Alex shrugged, feeling sort of amused despite her sister’s pain.

“So did you… talk with him or anything?"

“Not really. I’ll have to meet him properly some other time. He seemed okay. But I was mostly with Mags.”

“Fair enough.” Kara changed the subject to focus more on Alex and her dealings with Maggie, listening intently to how things were obviously going… well... but were still confusing for her sister. It was difficult to be happy for her after everything that had gone down with Mon-El during their hike, not to mention the fact he HIT HER WITH HIS CAR, but she really wanted her sister to be happy and get to have what she couldn’t. From the sounds of things, Maggie was making hints too, and perhaps was just as concerned about ‘screwing things up’ as Alex. She wondered why they couldn’t just talk about it and be done with it. It wasn’t that difficult to just ask, even if it was a risk, they knew each other well enough that they could remain on good terms, should it not actually work out or be anything more than friendship. It was frustrating that Alex clearly wanted something, and wouldn’t just do something about it. She had a pretty solid suspicion that it had more to do with a certain Shapeshifter than to do with fear or caution, or any of the reasons Alex was actually using to justify herself.

“Seriously. Why don’t you just ask her out already? Just ask!” Kara encouraged.

"I can’t.”

“Why not? It’s not that hard. Just bite the bullet and do it. How long are you gonna wait? Just ask her.”

“I can’t, Kara! What about that don’t you understand?!” Alex too, was frustrated, raising her voice from the abhorrent emotions of shame and conflict that had been brewing for a while now. She knew Kara accepted her, and she had been working towards accepting her own feelings for a while now too. It made a lot of sense looking back, as to why she had never really been interested in dating before. But she'd lost so much time, never able to figure out what was wrong with her. The lingering shame was uncomfortable under her skin, making it difficult to communicate politely. In theory, there was nothing wrong with being gay, but that didn’t stop the feelings and the need to hide it.

"Alex, please," Kara reasoned. "I don’t want you to give up that part of your life for me. You’ve already given me so much. Too much! I don’t want to take away a chance you have to be happy."

Alex rolled her eyes. “Chance? Pfff, that’s a bit of a stretch. Maggie doesn’t even know that I have feelings for her. To say I have a chance is…ugh.” She didn’t even finish her sentence properly, now so wound up that she didn’t know what to do with her emotions.

"But you hung out together on her birthday, ate at a fancy restaurant together, and you said specifically that she basically implied you could take her out for dinner. If you lost the game of pool, right? You can’t tell me you didn’t lose that game on purpose, Alex…"

"I didn’t!"

“Really?"

"I was just... distracted. I was thinking too much and I wasn’t really concentrating on correlating a good angle to–"

“ _–Alex._ I’m not talking about that. Just ask her. Stop avoiding how you really feel."

"Says _you!_ You threw away a perfectly good opportunity to KISS the guy you like. Right there in front of you! I don’t get those kinds of opportunities, Kara. Being gay is harder than it looks. You don’t just fall into a nice few dates and then go hiking together and suddenly know you’ve got a chance. I’ve been hiking with Mags plenty of times and she’s never tried to lay one on me. Unlike _you_ who just gets to spend a week flirting and talking and then TADAH!"

"That’s not fair."

"Well, all this talk of 'I should make a move on Maggie' is a bit hypocritical since you are in a MUCH easier position than I am to do so. And yet here you are judging me for being too chicken?"

"That’s not what I–"

“–So stop telling me to ‘just do it’ and ‘just ask’ and ‘it's not that hard’, Kara. When you have it _so_ easy compared to me and yet you won’t even do the exact same thing you are telling me to!"

"YOU KNOW WHY I CAN’T!” Kara had finally had enough, reaching breaking point.

"Why. Because you’re a _freak?_ "

Kara’s mouth dropped open for a moment, before the searing hurt in her chest imploded. "FUCK YOU, ALEX. YOU KNOW WHAT? DON’T ASK. BE AS MISERABLE AS I AM THAT I CAN’T BE WITH SOMEONE.” Kara stood abruptly from the couch as she tossed everything in her lap aside, intent on leaving whatever the fuck this conversation was. Forgetting temporarily that her ankle was injured made her even more mad, when blinding pain shot up her calf and made it atrociously difficult to think straight.

"Kara I’m sorr–"

"–NO! I’m trying to _help_ you and be _supportive,_ and you use the one thing I HATE above all else AGAINST ME TO MAKE ME FEEL SHIT! SCREW YOU, ALEX!” She snapped her teeth together, her anger boiling over.

“Ka–"

"GO TO HELL!"

 

*

 

Kara slammed the door shut before nearly crying out in pain. Her ankle was a making surges of agonizing fire from her foot all the way up to her thigh, the left side of her body hot and uncomfortable. Small static vibrations began pulsing through her fingers and racing up her arms, while her heart thudded in uneven jolts. What the hell?

Shit! This again? Kara stared at her hands to make sure she wasn’t about to faint, only to realize she was shaking. Wow. Okay. Something was totally wrong with her, and if she wasn’t so fucking angry, she might have even gone back inside to ask Alex for help. But that bitch could wait until she had calmed down. She KNEW she was a freak, but at least Alex accepted her – the one person who did. _Usually_. Fuck her. How DARE she just throw her life’s torment in her face like it was nothing?

Kara started limping towards her car, not able to get very far on foot and needing to get out of the house. Taking her keys and phone out she reached for the door before she realized.

“Oh FUCK this!” Her frustration finally spilled over into angry and uncontrolled tears, leaning against her car and then sinking to the ground. Her car was still broken and now she was stuck, in pain, hurting, and angry.

Fuck this.

Fuck everything.

 

*

 

Mon-El was rather surprised to get a call from Kara on a Sunday afternoon. He was expecting that she would mostly keep her distance from him after she made it clear she was uncomfortable with his advances, even if she did admit she found him charming and attractive before that. He’d accepted that she needed space, so it was confusing for him to see her name come up on screen, even causing him to contemplate whether or not to let the call go to voicemail.

But there was no way he could. He needed to know.

“Kara? Hi...”

“Can you pick me up?”

Straight to the point then. Wait...Had she been.. crying? Muffled sounds in the background caused Mon-El to lower his voice, concerned that something was wrong. “Are you… is everything okay?”

“Me and Alex had a fight. I can’t be at home right now. And my car is still broken.” She mumbled into the line with what sounded like a mix of defeat and hopelessness.

“Uhm. Sure. I’ll just… grab my jacket and come by.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem. Just uh… flick me your address? Text it through and I won’t be long.”

“Kay.”

 

**


	13. Bandaged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All. Shitty update for you on this fine day. Ignore mistakes, faster turn out and I've been working on... LION PART 2. So there's that. I aplogize for such slow progress on that one but you all know about my health and uhh... I've written 6 draft chapters of it this week alone, but.... They were something like 1, 3, 6, 14(ish), 20, 27, and ??? The complexity of the multiple lines of story means I can't release chapter by chapter like this one. Eeeeek. Please be patient it is coming. Might release a little teaser soon. Bear with me. It's got a LOT of content and LONG as anything (130k plus... ) Sighs. One word at a time yall. I know its slow but I can't do anything about that. Love yous.
> 
> xx Stay sweet my Karamels. And maybe enjoy this crappy little side story in the meantime? Lol.

 

 

Mon-El fixed his eyes straight ahead on the road as a very quiet Kara sat in the passenger side of his car, staring out the window. When he had turned up in her driveway, he had barely even stopped the car before Kara had ripped his car door open and climbed inside, slamming it shut and then just sitting there. Whatever the Danvers sisters had fought about, he knew not to ask, and by the way Kara’s hand were shaking she was still pretty worked up.

“Are you okay?” He asked gently. He knew it was a stupid question – clearly she wasn’t. But he wanted to at least give her the opportunity to vent or feel supported if she did want to talk about what had happened.

“Not really.”

He nodded quietly, and suddenly wished he could turn the radio on or something to drown out the tense silence. Kara was no longer crying, but she made small sniffing noises every now and then. It wasn’t so much awkward as it was difficult for him to know what to do, or how to help. He already felt like he was on unstable ground with her, and didn’t want to mess up again.

He had also seen the way Kara had been limping slightly before she had hopped in his car, and wanted to at very least make sure their fight hadn’t gotten physical. He didn’t really know Alex, and from what little he saw at the bar, she was quite stern and cold, though he wasn’t sure someone who had looked after her little sister for so long would ever get into a real fight with her sibling. Kara had said the older Danvers had looked after her for their entire lives, and he believed her. So perhaps it was something else.

“What happened to your leg?” He couldn’t help himself, just wanting to check Kara was okay.

“I got– I uh… fell down the stairs. This morning,” Kara mumbled, noticing the way she was so distracted she’d nearly said she was hit by a car. HIS car. The one she was now sitting in. God this was ridiculous.

“Oh. Is it okay?”

“It will be. I don’t think it’s that bad,” Kara lied, knowing it would heal so fast that it would appear minor, though it hadn’t been feeling that way.

“You sure?”

“Just a sprain. It’s nothing.”

“Okay.” Mon-El let her sulk in peace on her side of the car, not sure why he was driving back to his place. They hadn’t really talked about going anywhere, so he’d automatically just started to drive back to his lake house on autopilot, nearly at his driveway already since it was only a short distance from Kara’s. “I can make you a coffee or something? We can just chill at mine? I guess we can’t really go for another hike or anything with your sprain...” He spoke calmly. There wasn’t much they could do except sit around and take it easy, and he didn’t have that much energy anyway – courtesy of his many screw ups yesterday and therefore not much sleep.

“Sure.” Kara crossed her arms over herself, guarding her middle. She didn’t really care what they did, she was just glad to be out of the house and escape for a while, not wanting to be around Alex or at home. This was probably going to screw with her emotions even more, knowing what Mon-El had said to her last night. They’d agreed on friends and then he’d gone and said all those things to her while she was laying on the ground in her other form and it was all getting super complicated. But she needed comfort right now. She needed a friend. “...Did you have plans today? Sorry if I um…interrupted. I didn’t think to ask.”

“No, no. I was just relaxing and reading. I’ve got a backlog of books to read since I don’t get much time to back home. Too much work and stuff. It’s fine,” Mon-El reassured her. It was no trouble. He was surprised to see her after yesterday, but it didn’t matter. It was actually kind of nice that they could remain on good terms.

Kara watched as Mon-El yawned, reaching up to rub his eye as he drove with one hand. “Are _you_ okay?” She asked.

Mon-El sighed, knowing he looked like shit. He was just tired and had been thinking too much, guilt ravaging his insides and making him question why he was even here. “I’m okay. I just uhh... did a dumb thing yesterday. I still feel really bad about it.”

“I told you it was fine, Mon-El, honestly. You needn’t worry.” Kara tensed, a bit uncomfortable again.

“Oh. Not… not that. Though that was… uhm…” Mon-El felt immediately felt awkward, but could see why Kara would think he was talking about their hike yesterday, and _that_ dumb thing he’d done. “I meant… after that. On the way home from the bar last night.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I uhm… I maybe… accidentally hit… that beautiful wolf with my car. I didn’t run her over I promise! I think she was fine. But I felt so bad. And I didn’t get much sleep. That’s why I’m tired and looking a little worse for wear, is all.” He tried to explain, though he had definitely been thinking about the other dumb thing he had done. How he’d screwed things up with Kara by making a move on her. He hadn’t realized just how much it was weighing on his mind until he had vented about it to Moonlight, and now things were all very confusing. He supposed the friend zone could be a confusing place when you were quite obviously developing feelings for someone. But this is what Kara wanted, and if she was willing to see him and he could make her day a bit better just by picking her up… well, he supposed that was something. Maybe he could help to ease whatever had gone on with her sister. That’s what friends were for, right?

He returned to the topic at hand, explaining why he felt so bad about his literal run in with the wolf. “I think she’s out there injured. And it’s my fault. I didn’t mean to hurt her or anything. It just… happened.” He sighed again, releasing some of the tension from his shoulders.

“Oh. Right.” Kara realized what Mon-El meant, though both situations unwittingly had to do with her. Initially, she thought he was bringing up 'the incident’ again, the one that she totally regretted not going for. But she couldn’t. She shouldn’t. And she should really stop thinking about it and just deal with the fact that she was always going to be alone.

“No reaction? No… 'holy crap you hit a beautiful animal with your car?'”

Kara’s eyed widened. It was not new information to her that Mon-El had hit her with his car, so she forgot to act at least somewhat surprised. “Sorry, my mind hadn’t caught up yet,” she scrambled to give a proper reaction. "You hit the wolf with your _car?_ ”

“Mmmhhm. And now she could be vulnerable or hurting or something. I didn’t know what to do last night. After being at the bar and seeing the uh… skinned wolf there proudly on display… it’s fur just… hanging there. I was too scared to ask around for help. You know?”

“Probably for the best. I’m sure she’s fine.”

“You didn’t see her. It was pretty bad.”

“How do you even know it was the same one, Mon-El. It could have just been your imagination.” Kara tried to maintain plausible deniability, arguing with him again.

"No, you... don’t understand. It was her. And I sat with her for ages and… I think she’s starting to trust me. She’s just a bit timid, but it wasn’t like I just hit her and then that was it. She didn’t take off straight away. I tried to help her but…” Mon-El pulled his brows together, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

“Hey…” Kara sympathized, making her voice encouraging. “Don’t worry about it, okay? If she was messed up you’d know it. If she was still able to run away it can’t have been that bad, right?”

“Yeah. I guess.” He pulled into his driveway much slower than the last time, driving carefully until he was in front of his garage. He turned the car off, but made no effort to move just yet, continuing their conversation. “Are you sure you’re okay?"

“Just tired. And my mind…. I’ve got a lot going on at the moment. That’s all. It’s nice to have someone though… a friend. Thanks for uhm… picking me up.” She played with her hands in her lap, still a bit nervous about seeing him.

“It's no problem." He smiled gently. "Hey, I have some strapping tape and stuff if you wanted me to bind your ankle? I tried it last night, with Moonlight, but she didn’t let me.”

“You weren't supposed to name her that,” Kara muttered bitterly, remembering that he’d called her that stupid name last night.

“Too late. I already did.”

“She must have loved that,” she spoked sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

“I think she does!"

"I doubt it.” Kara opened the car door and stepped out timidly, putting most of her weight on her good leg.

“Here, let me help you.”

“It’s fine, Mon-El.”

“No, seriously. Why won’t anyone let me help them out?”

“Okay. Just… it's my left side.” She waited for Mon-El to wrap an arm under her to support some of her weight.

“Wow… that’s actually… an unnerving coincidence.” He shook his head, smiling to himself.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s just that Moonlight wouldn’t let me bind her ankle last night, and now here’s me trying to convince you to let me do the same, in basically what I guess would be the same place for a human,” he chuckled, though Kara’s heart rate had escalated along with her nerves.

“That _is_ a funny coincidence.” She inwardly cringed. Maybe asking Mon-El to pick her up was a really bad idea.

 

*

  
Kara sat on the couch inside with her ankle up on Mon-El’s knee, as he sat opposite her in a chair carefully wrapping her injury. She watched as he concentrated intensely, some of his inner perfectionist showing. It was weird to let him do it, but it would help with the pain and she would be able to take it off herself before her shift, unlike when she was in wolf-form. If she had let him bind it previously, she could imagine that the restricting nature of a securely bound injury would cause a stellar amount of pain, and possibly even more damage during her change. Now, though, she watched as Mon-El took his time, treating it like a sports injury that he seemed quite familiar with. Running his finger along different tendons and ligaments, he pressed gently asking if it hurt, trying to understand the damage.

"Well, you don’t have a fracture. If you did this bit right here would probably make you hit me just for touching it.“ He pressed gently on the spot on the outer region of her foot, following the tendon along to her pinky toe. “Cute,” he mused, seeing a small tattoo of a butterfly in the same region.

“My rebel phase,” Kara admitted as he covered it with the bandage, and then taped it up.

“A small, beautiful butterfly? If that’s your idea of a rebel phase you totally need to meet Lena.” He laughed.

“She had a rebel phase? I thought you said she worked for the police?”

“Oh, she does. She likes guns and manhandling arseholes into cuffs. I think its a way to channel her anger. Into justice instead of…. Other things.”

“She sounds kinda like Alex. I’ve always been more a butterflies and books kinda girl,” she admitted.

“Is it a symbol for something? What does it mean?”

“Hope.” She pulled her foot away from Mon-El when he finished, lifting her leg up to place on the couch instead. She sighed as she lengthened her leg out and it did feel a bit better with the compression and support.

“That’s really nice. I have a tiger down the back of my shoulder, but never got it filled in properly.”

“Yeah… I ah… I saw it.” Kara turned her face away a bit, trying not to blush thinking back to shirtless Mon-El in the water.

“Oh, right. Yeah.” Mon-El nodded. "It doesn’t mean anything. It was just something I thought was cool at the time.”

“I like it unfinished… seems… almost like it was meant to be that way. Perpetually incomplete.”

Mon-El laughed lightly. “You have an interesting way of seeing the world, Kara.”

That time, she did blush. “Always looking for the meaning in everything. Even when it’s not there, I guess."

“Your inner artist.”

“Yeah.” She bit her lip, looking down and playing with her sweater.

"I’ll uhm. Make us some coffee. You alright? Want an ice pack or something?" He got up and started to make his way over to the kitchen, leaving her to rest on the couch.

“No, it’s okay. Thank you though. This will help.” She nodded down that the binding, thanking him for his handiwork. “Coffee is good though."

“Milk and sugar?”

“Just milk. Thanks.”

“Coming right up."

 

*

 

They sat inside for a while drinking coffee and talking until Mon-El returned to his book, quietly concentrating on what he was reading while Kara just scrolled the internet on her phone or played random games to pass the time. She snuck a look at Mon-El every now and then, noticing the way his lips would pull at the side slightly when he found something amusing or entertaining. He had small microexpressions as he read along, focusing intently on his story. From the cover it looked to be a biography of some kind, which truth be told, she had always found non-fiction rather boring to read, being more into poetry or fiction novels herself. Whatever it was, Mon-El seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it, occasionally even reaching over for a pen to mark pages in the margin.

It was late afternoon, and all Kara really wanted was a nap on the couch. It was nice and relaxing here, but she feared if she fell asleep, Mon-El might not wake her. If she was unlucky enough to not wake before her shift… well… _that_ would be disastrous. So, Kara kept quiet and mulled over the strange and thoughtful male in her periphery, whose attention was currently engrossed in his book.

His stubble had grown out a little more than the last time she had seen him – only yesterday – and the grey hooded sweater he was wearing seemed well worn in. It was nice to see him so relaxed – a much different image than when he first got to town, perfectly pristine and perhaps even a little tense. She’d not noticed until now, that his postured had loosened up a bit, and his hair, while neat and tidy, wasn’t primed to utter perfection like it was just over a week ago.

“What?” Mon-El suddenly looked up, catching her gaze.

“Huh? Nothing.”

“You’re staring.”

“No I’m not. I’m thinking. You just… happen to be in my line of view.”

“Are you bored?”

“No no. It’s fine.” Kara shook her head, wondering how long Mon-El had caught her staring.

“I can stop ignoring you if you’d like. I just figured you might want a break from all the talking. Let you rest...”

“Yeah, that’s fine. You seem to really be enjoying your book. I’m just not used to sitting inside for long periods of time, that’s all.”

“We can go sit down by the lake if you want a change of scenery? I can help you walk?”

“Uhm…” Kara contemplated, but maybe after being cooped up inside all day getting some fresh air would be good. "Yeah, okay. Just for a bit.”

“Cool.” Mon-El stood up and dogeared his book before closing it and tucking it under his arm securely, shifting to help her up off the couch. He looped an arm under her again to support some of her weight, and she inwardly flinched at the warmth of his touch. She wasn’t used to people being so comfortable touching her, and even though he was being polite and completely appropriate, she felt her muscles become rigid and longing all at the same time. As they made their way out the door, she could feel her injury was healing at an alarming pace, not causing her the same ferocious pains it had when she was back at the house earlier, though it did still ache a bit.

“Everything alright?”

“Yup. Just um… feel a bit stupid.” Kara shrugged sheepishly, not quite as comfortable with the lack of personal space as Mon-El.

"You’re fine. We don’t have to wander down if you don’t want to. But it’s not far...” Mon-El stopped and stood on the deck gesturing with a nod in the direction of the lake.

“It will be nice to get some fresh air. It's okay.”

Mon-El nodded again and helped Kara down off the deck, surprised that she was actually doing pretty good for a sprain. “You can still partially weight bear, so that’s good. Shouldn’t take too long to heal up. A week or two, maybe.”

“Yeah... Maybe even sooner…”

When they reached the lake, the sat for a while and Mon-El returned to his book, letting Kara pick at the grass and throw stones into the water. It wasn’t hugely entertaining, and he supposed he didn’t at all have that much to offer. They had small conversations here and there, sharing thoughts about the place and the weather, but mainly just lost in their own little worlds. It wasn’t even that awkward after a time, just pleasant silence between them and the sounds of nature.

Watching the light get lower, Kara knew that soon enough she would need to ask Mon-El to take her home, still unable to walk. It would have been nice to watch the sunset with him, but she couldn’t do that, thanks to her… predicament. At some point Mon-El noticed she was cold, silently removing his hoodie and draping it over her shoulders and arms, but didn’t say anything. She just thanked him and let him sit back down to continue reading, making the most of what little time she had left before evening fully closed in.

Eventually, her phone rumbled in her pocket, saving her the difficulty of making an excuse to get home.

"It’s a text from Alex.” She spoke quietly, before reading through the lengthy apology written on the screen. "She left work early. Bought pizza and ice-cream." Kara sighed putting her phone on lock and chucking into the grass lightly next to her. "Guess she wants to make it up to me.”

"You should go. Be with your sister.” Mon-El shut his book, looking up. "You’ve gotta make amends some time.”

“I know. It’s just hard. To face her after… saying not very nice things.”

“Sounds like she wants to bury the hatchet. I mean… _ice cream_ – clearly your older sister knows the way to your heart,” he chuckled, trying to make Kara feel a little better.

“True.” She smiled in response, knowing he was right.

"Come on, I’ll drive you home.” Mon-El stood up before extending a hand. Helping Kara to stand as well, he then bent down to pick her phone up from the grass and give it to her.

He was so _nice_ to her, his presence soothing and effortless. It was difficult not to notice the way he was careful and caring as they made their way back up to the house and towards the car. Mon-El opened the passenger door politely for her to hop in, checking she was alright the entire time. She ended up sitting patiently in the car, waiting for Mon-El to go back amd grab his wallet and keys from the house.

Kara sighed as her heart began to tighten in her chest as she waited for Mon-El to return. Was she really willing to give this up? An opportunity so tantalisingly sweet and near, when she might completely regret it? She supposed that Alex had a point, and that if she was to sustain any friendship or relationship, there would always be risk involved. It was that or be alone. Seeing Mon-El’s kinder side, and the way he was quietly considerate to her, only made the longing in her chest increase. She had legitimate fears about getting involved with someone, it had never been a possibility in her mind... not ever. But perhaps her sister was right, and she was squandering an opportunity just sitting right there in front of her that she was too chicken to take. 

The whack of Mon-El's door closing abruptly brought her out of her thoughts, before he started the car and began to drive her home. She made an effort to maintain small talk for the brief trip back, asking as to what his plans were for the new week – if he would be going back to the bar or exploring, and even if he knew anything about mechanics. Turned out he did know a thing or two about cars and even offered to take a look at the engine of her shitty '96 Honda. Even if he couldn't get it fixed, it was nice of him to offer.

“Mon-El. About yesterday...” She began to talk as he slowed to a stop in her driveway, letting the car idle.

"What about it?"

"I… you…” She struggled to get the words out, tightening her hands into fists in an effort to keep from chickening out.

"What is it?"

“I… I didn’t mean to push you away."

"I know. Friends, right? We hung out today all fine. I mean, not the most entertaining afternoon in the world, but was still nice to have some company.” He smiled politely, frustratingly compliant with her wishes.

"No. I mean…”

“What...?”

"Have dinner with me?"

“Huh?” Mon-El didn’t mean to sound so surprised… but he was. He’d only just managed to get his feelings on a leash and accept his new found position in the friend zone.

"Next week sometime. I need a few days to um… get into a better headspace. Work out things with Alex and my car and stuff. But…"

"Why the change of heart?” He asked genuinely, though inwardly he was elated that she had changed her mind.

She couldn’t tell him that she’d heard all those things he’d told her... after hitting her with his car while she was in wolf-form. But he’d been so honest. And then after today and what Alex had said, she thought maybe…

“I’m not the best with… uhm… people. As you can probably tell. And I overthink things a little bit and have… issues. I think... maybe because of what happened.. back then…” She alluded to her parents. “That I have trouble trusting people. Or something.” She said Mon-El’s own words back to him, having only realized herself after he’d spoken so candidly with her last night, that he was probably right.

“I understand. It makes sense.”

“Would you want to? Go out for dinner, I mean?

“Of course.”

"It would have to be early. That’s all. Alex has me on… uhm... curfew.”

“Curfew?"

"Just to be safe. And stuff. I get injured a lot.” Kara scrambled for excuses, clearly untried at holding a normal, decent conversation.

"I thought you got injured falling down the stairs?"

"I did. This time. But I spend a lot of time outdoors.. and... it’s hard to explain.” She rolled her eyes at herself, putting her hand on the door handle about to hop out of the car. “But I’ll kick myself if I don’t at least try..” She looked back over at him, hopeful, watching his expression melt from sympathy, to a mix of understanding and self-satisfaction.

"You’re very honest, Kara. Did you know that?"

"I’m really not."

"You sure? Because people don’t usually communicate with me so openly.” He titled his head to the side slightly with an amused look on his face, like he just dared her to deny it. Of course, even if she was being open now with her feelings at least a little bit, there was so much he didn’t, and _couldn’t_ know. It was the way it had to be, but she felt sorry for him that he thought her so honest.

“Just. Dinner. Okay?”

“Okay, sure.” He smiled brightly, giving a light nod.

"I can’t promise you more than that."

"I didn’t…” Mon-El trailed off, running his hand up the back of his neck through and through his hair.

Kara took that as her cue to leave, quietly opening the door and turning to place her good leg on the ground to support her weight, before standing up weakly. She bit her jaw down as a spark of pain shot through her injury but made sure Mon-El didn’t see. She turned to thank him, feeling unsure but a bit more encouraged by his willingness to rethink seeing each other.

"Thank you for today."

"That’s alright. Go on then. I’ll uhm... I’ll text you."

“Thank you. Really.”

“No problem. Bye Kara.”

She simply lifted her hand to signal her goodbye as she gently shut the car door, limping awkwardly back up to the house.

Mon-El just sat in the driveway making sure she got in alright, waving one last time to Kara as she disappeared inside.

Maybe he hadn't lost his chance after all.

 

**


	14. Amends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably the most unedited rushed chapter I've ever written. SOZ LOL. But it's been too long since my last update so I'm throwing it at you like the pile of garbage it is. Don't judge. We can't all be great writers all the time. LOL fuck this writing thing why isn't there enough time in my day to write fiction blehhhh okay love yall. xoxox stay sweet my Karamels. #imsorryimuseless
> 
> -

 

 

Kara dragged herself towards the couch and plopped down, her bandage in full view of Alex who seemed to be in the middle of getting a plate of food and glass of juice. She watched as her sister's gaze lingered on her injury before she opened her mouth – clearly about to give her an interrogation and/or telling off… but she decided against it, shutting her jaw tightly. Kara just rolled her eyes, biting back some snide remark about how she should just get it over with. She knew there would still be a ‘stern talking to’ despite the pizza peace offering and apology text she had received.

“So… that was Mon-El, I’m guessing? The guy?” Alex continued to pile a plate with pepperoni slices while maintaining a polite, casual tone of voice.

“Who else would it be,” Kara grumbled. “It’s not like a have friends. I’m a _freak_ , remember?”

Alex sighed and let her shoulders slump, knowing her sister’s passive aggressive snark was well deserved. “You know I didn’t mean that...” she pleaded.

“Oh? Didn’t you? Because I’m pretty sure you were just stating the obvious,” Kara gave a bitter reply. She crossed her arms over her chest and pulled her phone out, not sure why it gave her a feeling of security.

Alex sighed again and decided to change subjects, knowing she would make no ground with Kara other than to upset her more if she was to continue. Instead, she took interest in Kara left foot, propped up on the coffee table. Her sister had somehow, between this morning and now, ended up with a strapped ankle. Though it was usually in wolf form that Kara sustained her various injuries, there was still a possibility she had uncharacteristically hurt herself today as a human. “Are you going to tell me what happened to your ankle?”

“No. I’m not.” Kara bit back. She had no obligation to fill Alex in on anything, nor to be held accountable for injuries as if they were problematic to anyone but herself. She was an adult, and didn’t need a scolding from her older sister. "So instead, where’s this _Pizza_ you told me about?” She narrowed her eyes and glared at Alex. Though her sister’s earlier apology sat in the back of her mind, taking back words after the fact didn’t make them unsaid. She was still hurting and angry.

“It’s right here,” Alex spoke calmly and wandered over to Kara, passing her a plate stacked with pizza. She half expected her wounded sister to snatch it from her, but the blonde just took it gently while grumbling some form of thanks. “Juice is here when you want it,” she said as she put it down on the coffee table next to Kara's foot and returned back to the kitchen. Helping herself to her own dinner, she started eating while standing up next to the counter, not particularly wanting to be in the general vicinity of her sibling unless invited to be closer.

“How was your shift at the bar?” Kara’s mood appeared to quieten down as she started to eat.

“Gross. I smell like stale beer and floor antiseptic. Not to mention the clogged drain I had to clean out…” She shrugged and ate her dinner, leaving another day of work behind her.

“Sounds fun.”

“Mmmhhmm.”

The two ate in silence on opposite sides of the living area, neither one of them sure how to bridge the distance between them. Kara didn’t have much time before her change, so chose to make the most of her time enjoying her meal - cheese melting in her mouth as she devoured slice after slice. She felt warmer with the delicious carbs settling into a nice comfy spot in her stomach – munching quietly before reaching for her juice. Grapefruit, she noticed – which Alex hated, but she herself loved. They never bought it, since her older sibling detested the taste. She kind of liked the bitter tang it made on her tongue, but there was no point keeping something in the house Alex hated when they could just share something they both like. She was surprised that Alex would get it for her. After working all afternoon too.

“Why do you do it?” Kara asked suddenly, not lifting her eyes from the food in her hands. “Work so hard..."

“So that we can live, Sis. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty if it means we can have a life.”

“Is it much of a life though? Here?” She was wondering aloud again, and maybe now wasn’t the best time to bring up her growing doubts about their situation – about how Alex ‘had’ to stay here to look after her, all her freak problems included.

“What are you talking about, Kara, you love it here.”

“Maybe….” She just shrugged.

“And I’m not leaving my baby Sis out in the middle of nowhere to fend for herself. If I have to wait tables and clean floors then so be it.”

Kara nodded, returning to her food.

Alex plucked up the courage to enter the lounge, now that the big bad wolf had calmed down and mostly eaten her fill. Sitting on the couch next to her she pulled a cushion off the floor to place behind her back. “I’m sorry for what I said, K-bear. I wasn’t upset with you. I was just… I’m struggling. With my own feelings. And I don’t like feeling out of control and vulnerable. It was easier to be angry at you than face my own inner grievances.”

Kara sighed, but understood. They both had their fair share of outbursts from time to time. "What inner grievances would those be?"

"Shame? Regret? Discomfort? Take your pick... I just… don’t like walking around feeling like some scandal with a dirty secret. Like the people that know me won’t accept me if they knew the truth."

"Well, this is gonna sound weird. But I kinda know what that’s like…” Kara rolled her eyes, thinking back to how Mon-El though her so honest. If he knew the truth about her he would probably run for this hills right before checking himself in to see a psychiatrist.

She picked at her pizza crusts pulling them apart, playing with them but not intending to eat any more. “Except. I think people would still accept you. It’s hard, I know. And I don’t mean to sound insensitive by relating to you or anything."

“I understand. We both have something to hide.”

Kara placed her plate down on the table with a few crusts, finished with her dinner. “But you don’t have to hide it, Alex. I I know it’s different. I know it’s not a competition or anything, but I think unlike me, you could actually tell people and you’d be okay. If people reject you for who you are, good riddance.”

“Would you apply that logic to yourself? Or would you still be terrified of rejection…”

“Point noted.” Kara considered.

“I’m sorry that I can’t be more open about it. And that it’s caused a bit of… tension.”

“It’s okay.” She shrugged.

“Can you forgive me?”

“Sure. You put up with my shit. I put up with yours. That’s kinda how it goes.” Kara sighed, relieved that they could just go back to normal. It was easier that way, than being bitter and fighting. “Sorry for having an outburst.”

“It was well warranted, I think…"

“Yeah. I know we joke about it sometimes… but please don’t do that to me again.”

“I won’t. I am sorry.” Alex wrapped her sister in a small side hug, giving her a squeeze.

“Sorry for getting super mad.”

“Meh. Don’t worry about it.”

“Actually. About that…”

 

*

 

A few days later Kara got her sister to drop her off at work, quickly putting her bandage back on while in the car. It was far messier than when Mon-El had done it, and she didn’t even need it anymore, but she didn’t want Mon-El to have any chance to make a connection between her evening visits and her human self. She’d grown to like evenings spent with him as her other self, and at least this way his 'wolf friend' would look fully healed and normal, while she could maintain a bit of a charade for a while longer.

“Seriously, Kara? You don’t even need that! Are you trying to get the sympathy vote or something?” Alex swerved suddenly, avoiding a pile of firewood that had fallen off someone’s trailer. “Good job, idiot!” She called out the window, receiving an unimpressed look from someone who looked like one of the guys Maggie would often hang out with.

“Get back to work Danvers you little shit!!” He called back, hastily trying to pick up his mess and pile it back into his trailer.

“Who’s that?” Kara picked at her fingernails. It was a bit disconcerting that Alex knew everyone in town, but also kinda nice for her too.

“Isn’t it obvious? That’s Tank. If the huge muscley vibe didn’t give it away,” she chuckled.

“Oh. He works at the station sometimes, yeah?”

“Yep. Not as much as the others. It’s not like they have a lot to do around here. I think he’s mostly on call if they need. Pretty sure he’s just there for muscle if they want it. And they sit around and drink coffee and chat when they don't...”

“Right.”

“So. Are you going to tell me why you’re playing damsel in distress with that fake bandage?”

"No. And it’s none of your business.” Kara crossed her arms and pulled out her phone, flicking off a quick text to Mon-El to see if they were still on for lunch.

“Keep up that attitude and you can walk home.”

“ _Fine._ Fine. It’s just... A cover. Mon-El saw me… injured. When I was… _you know_. But now he thinks Moonlight is all better and healed.”

“Moonlight?”

“Ugh. It’s what he called me. The _other_ me.”

“That’s a stupid name.”

"That’s what I said!”

“Okay. Well… I don’t think he would ever make the connection… but if you want to be paranoid about it go ahead.” Alex shrugged, before turning onto the main street.

“Alex. Don’t be an arse.”

“I’m not. I’m just saying… it’s unnecessary. There is no way anyone would believe you were anything other than human unless they like… saw you shift right in front of them.”

“Maybe. But I don’t get the luxury of taking risks. So… bandage it is.”

“Well alright then. Makes sense. Anyway, I’ll pick you up at 4... Or you want to walk to the diner, we can grab something to eat from the cabinet before heading home. I probably won’t have time to do anything except drop you off and then head straight to the bar, so if you’re not game to cook for yourself tonight, we can just pinch something out of the cabinet. Eve lets me take leftovers."

"You work with Eve?” Kara asked quickly as she threw her makeup she had been putting on in the car into her bag, along with her phone and book. At least if they had some food together she wouldn’t have to attempt to cook herself dinner.

"Yeah? She’s great. A bit quiet… keeps to herself mostly. Always making jokes and being happy, but it seems fake to me. So I didn’t really talk with her much 'cause I don't trust her. I dunno. ”

“Really? She seems like she might be really nice…”

“Well, you should make friends? I hear she’s sticking around for another year. Her contract just got extended.”

“Really? That’s so weird. She just came out of nowhere.”

“You’re telling me...” Alex pulled up right outside the post office and came to a stop, and decided they could just finish chatting later.

“Well, thanks for the ride. I’ll meet you there – I don’t want to cook dinner. Save me a blueberry muffin if you can?"

"Sure thing. Laters, K-bear."

"Bye Sis."

 

*

 

Mon-El decided to pick something up for Kara on his way in for lunch – since she was prone to living off instant coffee, muesli bars, and cold pasta. Unlike his office which had a kitchen, coffee machine, microwave, and fridge, Kara was limited to… well, a post office. Stepping into the diner, he already knew what he planned to get her – waffles with syrup for something sweet and warm, and a salmon avocado bagel for savoury since that’s what he wanted himself. He knew that if he didn’t get two, he would have to share, and that basically meant Kara would steal all his food.

Wandering up to the counter, he recognized the waitress that had been flirting with him the time he and Kara had come here for breakfast previously.

“Well well well, the gorgeous new guy returns.” She smiled brightly, blinking up at him as though the world only brought her joy. It was a strange kind of brightness – genuine, in a way, but also not.

“Hi. Ah… sorry I forgot your name.” A lie – he always remembered names, but he didn’t want to flatter her into flirting with him some more, and pretending like she wasn’t memorable – though slightly impolite – seemed harmless enough to acknowledge his disinterest.

“Eve.”

“Nice to see you again, Eve. Hows your day going?”

“Fine, thank you.” She smiled again, before resuming her duties. "So what will it be today? Are you wanting a table and some menus?”

“Uh, no no, just picking some stuff up to go have lunch with Kara.”

“Oh, sounds nice. She’s a lucky gal.”

“Hah, yeah. I guess.” Mon-El shuffled on his feet a bit awkwardly. He wasn’t sure if this blonde would now go blabbing that Kara had a boyfriend or something, which knowing this stupid place, would get around everyone before he had even made it home. He and Kara hadn’t really talked about being official or anything, even though they spent most of their time together. It wasn't a bad idea, just that the last time he had made a clear move she had run away on him, and he didn’t really want to move too fast. "Uhm... Can I just grab some waffles and two salmon-avo bagels?”

“Sure thing. And Coffees?” She waited expectantly, her pen and paper still at the ready.

“Right. Americano and Flat white. Please. Just your standard size is fine.”

“Americano? Is that… like a long black, or…” Eve screwed her face up at him like he was speaking a foreign language. He looked up to the chalkboard behind her and noticed their selection of drinks were mostly your standard basics.

“Oh, right. Sorry. I’ve been told I’m a coffee snob.” He chuckled. "It's the same thing really, just… espresso first, then add the hot water.”

“That’s literally it? The order you put the water in…”

“Well, it does affect the flavour a little.”

“I’m sure it does.” Eve gave him a knowing look before she wrote down his special coffee request and food order. He wasn’t wrong! It did affect the taste! It was slightly less bitter and not as strong, yet still gave the full-bodied flavour of a nice dark coffee. At least he didn’t put milk in his coffee like Kara did.

He paid with his card before thanking her and then standing around casually at the counter. He suspected it would take a while, but didn’t want to make more conversation with Eve than necessary, and they weren’t busy enough to have small talk with anyone else. There was nothing wrong with conversing with other women, he found them quite stimulating and intelligent actually, but lately he’d had difficulty with giving people the wrong idea, and as much as he had been clear to Eve that he had his eye on someone else, the way she looked at him made him slightly uncomfortable. He chose the easy way out and pulled his phone out of his pocket, pretending to look down at it so that he could avoid chatting to the attractive blonde.

“It will be a little bit, if you want to take a seat.” Eve got his attention for a moment and lifted her hand to gesture to the stools near the counter, that hostess charm and bright smile still plastered on her face. She was about to leave him be, and he was about to turn back to his phone, but the quick gesture caught Mon-El’s eye. Her lifted arm had given him a full view of the bruises scored into her wrists. They were mostly healed, not too dark, but the sight caused him to stop. All previous thoughts left his mind in a swift gust, the surprising revelation in front of him gaining his full attention.

“Wait.” He stopped her abruptly, standing up straight.

“What?” She gave him a puzzled look, his serious tone of voice taking her off guard.

Mon-El took a breath, deciding if he should just leave it. It wasn’t any of his business, and he hadn’t had more than a split second to really think about what he’d just seen. But if he didn’t ask, who would? He felt responsible because he _had_ noticed, and to not at least _check_ that Eve was okay wouldn’t sit well with him. "I don’t mean to pry. But those bruises... Where did you get them?” He put his hands in his pockets as he awaited her answer, not yet willing to sit until she gave him one.

“What? Oh… these. I uhm.. I’m just clumsy. As you can imagine.” She laughed and tried to play it off like she fitted into the ‘dumb blonde’ stereotype or something like that, but he knew better. He’d seen the deep blue rings that were caused by a controlling and abusive hand before.

“Eve…” He gave her a serious look, remaining calm.

“Sorry I’ll be back. I’ve just got to put your order in…” She disappeared, and then just never came back out from the kitchens. He sighed, before giving in and taking a seat. Perhaps he was wrong, but her sudden need to escape indicated that perhaps he had brought something up she didn’t want others to acknowledge. Was it really his problem if she didn’t want people to know? If she didn’t want to talk about it, he couldn’t force the matter or try to make her open up to him. He didn’t even know Eve, and if her bruises indicated what he thought they did… issues like that were personal.

Mon-El sat contemplating how best to discover if Eve was in need of help, but to be honest, all he had was some offhand observations. He could go to Kara, to go to Alex, who could get a word in with her sheriff friend down at the local station. But wouldn’t that be crossing the line? Telling a whole lot of other people and getting them involved? It was something he one, didn’t know for sure, and two, wasn’t really his business to go around telling people. Surely Eve would not appreciate suddenly becoming the gossip of the town. He could at very least ask Kara, as someone he trusted and was most likely a friend. If he told her what he saw, Eve might confide in her or something, as girls often did. But he didn’t want to sit around and do nothing. If Eve was having trouble at home that nobody knew about, it was a dangerous and lonely place to be. That much he knew. He had never had to go through that himself, not really, though he saw the effects of it on his own family.

Lena didn’t get along with his father, and Mon-El had never understood why until he was much older. Since he was the favourite child, Lena did her best to not come between them. She hated Lar, and Mon-El had always through she was just a moody brat, the rebel teenager, or simply hated the man in the family that wasn’t HER father. He’d not realized untill Lena had thrown him out on his arse that she hated him because of the way he treated their mother.

“Food’s up.” Eve interrupted his thoughts, calling him over for his order. Rising from his seat, Mon-El was still conflicted. He began to collect his food from Eve and thank her when he just came out with it. “You’re lying to me.”

Eve blinked, her bright smile gone in an instant. “I’m… what? No, I’m not.” She shuffled awkwardly about before shoving his boxed up food more forcefully into his hands. "Now here. You better get these to your girlfriend before they get cold.” Eve pushed them towards him hastily and let go, and he knew then that he’d either offended or scared her. Further confirmation that she wanted to get away from him came when she swiftly called over her shoulder to a collegue. “Hey, Alex? Can you take over? I’m taking my break now!” Mon-El looked towards the kitchens and heard a reply called back, before Eve just smiled at him and turned on her heel, leaving him alone with a handful of food. He waited for a moment longer, thinking that perhaps she meant Alex as in Kara’s sister. She worked here? But she worked at the bar, didn’t she? He expected her to emerge in Eve’s place, but instead he was just left alone out the front by himself.

After standing around awkwardly for a few minutes, Mon-El gave up and decided it would just be best to get on with his day. He had kind of wanted to see Alex and at least say a polite hello, remembering how Kara said her sister worked two jobs. It was difficult to realized just how hard the Danvers sisters had it; A job at a bar, a diner, and a postoffice. He didn’t judge, but he couldn’t imagine what that was like.

 

*

 

He was greeted with a glowing smile upon arriving at Kara’s ‘desk’ – the counter at the front of the post office. Putting the food and coffees down he let himself back behind the counter, a habit he’d easily gotten into now that he and Kara were comfortable in each other's space. She rose from her chair to give him a friendly hug – a poor substitute for greeting with a kiss, but he supposed they weren’t there yet. As she pulled away, Kara left him stunned when she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek, lingering for a moment. He didn’t have time to process the new ground she’d stepped into before she quickly stole away his warmth, immediately turning her attention to their boxes of food stacked on the counter.

“You are… seriously amazing.” Kara glowed as she opened all three boxes, inspecting what was for lunch. “You didn’t want waffles for yourself?” She asked, before turning her attention to the takeaway mugs and inspecting the scribbles in pen for her beverage of choice. Finding her flat white, she lifted it to her lips, their soft pink colliding with the paper cup in a way that made Mon-El envy that darn coffee.

“How do you know those aren’t my waffles?” He teased, ignoring the need to replace Kara's coffee mug with his lips.

“Because you’re not stupid enough to eat those in front of me without getting me some too.” She laughed, taking the box in hand and sitting down, already pouring more syrup over them from the small pottle inside.

“Ah, yes. You might be onto something there.” He watched as she pulled a chair towards her with her uninjured foot, efficient as always, so she didn’t have to turn her attention away from her food for even a moment. “Are you gonna sit?”

“Sure." He picked up a bagel and napkin and joined Kara to sit down, politely taking a bite. "How’s your ankle? Going okay?” 

“Yeah, still a little sore, but I can basically walk on it again.”

“That’s great. You heal up quick,” he mumbled after chewing through most of his mouthful.

"That I do.” Kara passed him his coffee before he asked for it, noticing he was sitting too far away to reach for it himself. “Black disgusting coffee for you… Mr coffee snob.”

“Hey!”

“Well. You could at least put some milk in it.”

“I’m allowed to like black coffee. There’s nothing wrong with it,” he defended. “Though I did have to explain to Eve what an americano was at the diner… so I guess my reputation precedes me."

“You saw Eve?”

“Well, she works at the diner so I couldn’t _not_ see her, Kara. Don’t be jealous.”

“I’m not! She’s just… she flirts with you and is… beautiful and nice and…”

“So you’re jealous.”

“No.”

“It’s okay if you are. I made an effort to seem uninterested if that makes you feel any better...”

“Oh.”

“Though, she seemed to think I was getting lunch for my ‘girlfriend’ so sorry if that gets around. A town like this, I wouldn’t be surprised if a rumour started.” Mon-El simply told the truth, though it seemed like a good way to bring it up. He could at least test the waters again and see if she was open to the idea of being… well… exclusive. Though it was pretty clear he wasn’t interested in anyone else, and as fair as he knew, Kara wasn’t looking around at any other options.

“I see.”

Mon-El put his food down to look at Kara, sensing he had maybe made a mistake. “Sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable again?” Kara had gone quiet and he took that as a bad sign.

“No. No… I was. I was just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?” He pressed gently, noticing the way Kara had stopped eating to shuffle her waffles around with her little plastic fork, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Well. Am I?” Kara spoke quietly, looking up at him gently to search his eyes.

“Are you what?” Mon-El asked, barely able to breathe himself. Was this happening? He didn’t want to get his hopes up incase they weren’t on the same page and she wasn’t asking him what he thought she was. But he’d kinda brought it up just incase, though he wasn’t quite expecting they’d really actually have this conversation.

“Your… your girlfriend.” Kara mumbled nervously.

“Uhhh… do you want to be?” Mon-El kept his cool as he waited for Kara to stop biting her lip. She looked to be thinking hard, and was clearly about to say something she considered important. He had to remember that she might not want this, and that it was entirely up to her if she did.

“I mean. It’s just that we spend all out time together. And you buy me lunch and I did ask you for dinner and I know we haven’t done that yet but I guess I was just kind of making it my way of letting you know that I wouldn’t be against the idea if you… if we…”

“You know you talk at light speeds when you are nervous, right?”

“Mon-El!”

He chuckled. “Sorry. You were saying?”

“Nothing. Forget it.”

“Kara…”

“What…”

“Do you want to be my girlfriend?” He smiled, feeling a lot more confident about the answer than he thought he would. She had taken a while to come around, but she kept admitting things that made it easy for him to realize she was just figuring out how to deal with something new.

“Uhm. Maybe… Yeah? Is that okay?”

“Well, I don’t expect much will change. Like you said. We are already going on dates and you eat my food and diss my coffee so…” He grinned, pleased that they’d made a lot more progress than just a kiss on the cheek. Kara was willing to really try something with him, and honestly it felt like his entire world had aligned and dropped him in this specific moment in time – in this silly little place – for her.

“Does this mean we are going for dinner tonight then?” Mon-El asked. They’d not actually set a specific time to go out yet, as he was waiting for Kara to bring it up again when she was ready. Tonight seemed to fit well, since she didn’t appear to be stressed or have much of a busy work day. It seemed she had ‘gotten her thoughts together' like she’d wanted by having some time before organizing it, and he also knew that she and her sister were on good terms again.

“You were going to teach me how to cook.” Kara thought back to how Alex wasn’t going to be home and she didn’t want to cook for herself. Perhaps having a cooking lesson with Mon-El would make for a much better date and be far more productive than eating leftovers from he cabinet at the end of the day.

“Oh, so you remember that.”

“I mean. We can go out if you want. But it would be nice to learn. And Alex is busy tonight.”

“Well alright then. Let’s do that. Lesson one, tonight at my place.”

“Would you be okay to give me a ride? My car is still… playing up.”

“Sure.”

“And it can be early?”

“Anything you want.”

“Okay. I’ll text Alex and let her know.”

“Perfect.”

 

**

 


	15. Outburst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something is a little bit amiss with Kara’s mood. (Hahaha. Maybe you can guess what it is. Dun dun dun...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, short chapter. super busy and shit. peace.

 

 

Mon-El had stayed around at her place of work for a while after their lunch, even helping her sort mail when Joe turned up later than usual with a load of parcels. It was a boring job, but he didn’t complain at all during the afternoon, just made jokes about the amount of stuff people managed to accumulate from online shopping and what the heck could possibly be in a huge, barely liftable box (his bet was on an ugly garden gnome). After getting everything done fairly quickly with an extra set of hands, Mon-El wanted to leave to head down to the store to stock up on ingredients – just a few extras for their dinner and cooking lesson. Kara had managed to convince him to stick around for another hour until closing so that they would be able to leave together instead. She knew that she would have to fit everything into their short evening together - making her more than a little nervous about being as efficient as possible, though she pushed her feelings down and convinced herself that she could make it work. As long as they didn't fluff around too much, she would be able to have an early dinner with Mon-El and maybe even learn something useful before taking off home.

She was currently sitting on the passenger side of Mon-El's car, and groaned at the feeling of being stuck in the same outfit she had been wearing all day. Unfortunately, she hadn’t planned on needed to wear something nice, but now there wasn’t nearly enough time go home and get changed or fuss about getting ready for a proper date – not if she wanted to keep the unnecessaries to a minimum. Surely the excuse that they’d been busy all day meant Mon-El would excuse her lack of date-night attire, (though she did touch up her makeup a little in the bathroom at work, and put on mascara to feel a little more like it was a dinner date). She figured she would have to make do. Though it didn’t stop her feeling a bit disappointed.

They were nearing the store when Kara began to shift uncomfortably in her seat, trying to rid a stain from her jeans with a damp thumb while rolling her eyes at the stupid clothing that she had been wearing all day.

“What’s wrong?” Mon-El enquired politely. He’d noticed Kara had become more and more restless the closer to closing time it had gotten at her place of work, before fussing about with her hair in the bathroom for a very short amount of time. Now she was staying quiet, though her agitation was still pretty obvious.

“I’m fine,” Kara grumbled at him and stopped her movements, giving him a light shrug.

“Every man knows that phrase doesn’t actually mean ‘I’m fine’.” Mon-El chuckled, though he wasn’t exactly teasing so much as he just wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help.

Kara gave in, feeling like it would just be easier to explain herself than make shoddy excuses. “Honestly, it's nothing. I just kinda feel gross. Usually I’d get changed if I was spending the evening out. That’s all.” She looked down again at her plain old jeans and white converse that were stained and marred on all sides. It was lame and she knew it, but she sort of just expected the whole… _getting together_ with someone thing to be a bit more romantic or something. Like it wouldn’t be so… normal. “Sorry that I’m so…” Kara trailed off, implying that she was apologetic to him for not being more dressed up.

“We can pop by yours if you want?”

“Don’t have time…” She cringed, knowing that was why she hadn’t brought it up in the first place. She knew Mon-El would offer to take her home to get a fresh outfit if she mentioned it. She didn’t want to take up extra time, even if it was only like 20 or 30 minutes. It was easy to get distracted and lose daylight, which could spell disaster if she had to bail on Mon-El when she wanted it to be a nice evening spent together.

"Well... if you want, you can have on of my sweaters that is on the back seat? It’s getting kinda cold anyway, and I think you might have left your jacket behind at work.” He motioned behind him with his head while he continued to drive, and Kara spotted a neat basket of fresh laundry sitting on the backseat. "They are clean. Fresh from the laundromat this morning. I didn’t end up going home like I thought I would today.”

“Sorry, that was my fault. I made you sort parcels instead…” Kara reached back and found something to her liking, at least feeling like it would be cleaner to put on something fresh over her peach coloured top that she had been in all day.

“No worries. I got to spend some time with you at work and got to be a little productive. It gave me something to do, which was actually really nice.” He grinned, watching as Kara reached back and took his favourite maroon coloured hoodie out of the pile and chucked it on.

“Still a bit restless that you are on leave?” Kara asked.

“Maybe a little…” Mon-El admitted. “Better?” Mon-El smiled at Kara’s willingness to take one of his items of clothing and put it on, before turning his attention back to the road.

“A bit.”

Kara refused to admit that this wasn’t how she imagined. You know, proper dates with wine and fancy dresses and spending hours on her hair. Real life was so much different than that. Perhaps it wasn’t a bad thing that she was sitting in Mon-El’s car wearing his sweater, or that he was honest with her and relaxed and just so casual about everything. It was all just a lot more… _normal_ … that she initially expected. Real. Perhaps she’d just seen too many shitty rom-coms and had warped expectations of what it was like to date someone. It wasn’t like she had done this before.

When she’d initially asked Mon-El for dinner – her round about way of saying that she’d changed her mind about things – wearing a casual hoodie was NOT what she wanted or had in mind, (not that she had thought about it long or hard or been falling asleep at night wondering about him). But she also wasn’t going to say no to the opportunity to wear one of his sweaters either. It made her feel… different. Maybe even a little proud? That she got to wear something of his? She couldn’t really identify the feeling, it was all so new. She was conflicted, but she loved the idea of wearing Mon-El’s clothes, and how comfortable he was with her. There was no trying to impress him, and maybe she was a little disappointed that she didn’t get to have that? But at the same time, it made things a LOT easier… she didn’t have to stress at all about what she did for a living or what clothes she had on. He knew her. And he just didn’t care.

“Kara.”

“Yeah?” She looked up, pulled from her thoughts when he spoke her name gently.

“Are you sure nothing is bothering you?” Mon-El noticed she had been so quiet, which wasn’t hugely unusual for Kara, and maybe she had just had a long day and was taking a rest from their constant banter. But he didn’t at all mind accommodating her needs if that is what she wanted. "It’s no problem if you want to get changed. Honestly, I can take you home for a bit if you really want. But you don’t have to wear heels and a dress to this dinner date or anything. To be frank, no one has ever looked as good in a hoodie before.” Mon-El grinned at her, hoping to pacify whatever unease Kara was feeling. From the way she’d been fussing about her clothes and apologizing, it seemed like she was just concerned she was underdressed or something.

“What?”

He chuckled, seeing Kara’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “The hoodie. It looks super good on you.” Maybe it was just because it was _his_ , and seeing Kara in his clothing did something to his insides. They squirmed a little with delight and he would be telling them to shut the hell up if it wasn’t for the fact that Kara was right there in the car with him.

“You think I look good in everything.” Kara rolled her eyes and looked out the window, barely noticing that she’d spoken aloud. It took Mon-El off guard – her casual flippant comment – as if she was merely stating a boring fact.

“Well yes, Little miss mind reader. I do. But how would you possibly know that?” He laughed, frequently delighted that Kara always managed to surprise him with flickers of unpredictable dialogue.

“You told me before,” She argued, even though she realized now it was Moonlight he’d told that particular detail too. She couldn’t exactly say that now could she.

"I have not!"

"Well, you just did then. So I’m not wrong.” Kara pointed out.

"Well sorry, I’ll stop saying it then. Since it doesn’t seem to please you...” He pulled into a carpark, wondering why commenting that Kara looked good in everything would _annoy_ her.

"It’s not that. It’s just…” Kara sighed, before admitting her valid argument. "You know when you ask someone's opinion on something and they like EVERYTHING or are just so agreeable that you have no idea what they _actually_ think?”

“So you think I’m lying.” Mon-El turned the car off, but continued on with their conversation.

"Well, no. I didn’t say that. But. I’m in worn cruddy clothing and been at work all day and... it just seems like I should have at least made an effort. If we are finally having this dinner, you know?”

"Do you want to know what I honestly think?”

"Yes. Go right ahead." Kara crossed her arms, prepared for him to tell her that she looked shit but he didn’t mind, or something like that. It would be the typical answer.

"When we went hiking. And then we went for a swim. You were sitting in the water with your hair soaked and no makeup and just…"

"Looking like a drowned rat?"

"Hey! Don’t interrupt."

"Sorry. Continue."

“Well... That was kinda the moment I knew."

"Knew what?"

"That there’s something about you that no one else has. Something genuine and beautiful. And that’s the kind of person I want to be with."

"Oh.” Kara uttered, the only syllable she was able to form in that moment.

“So... I dunno, you don’t have to accept what I think if you don’t want to. But you wanted me to be honest. So there you go.” Mon-El shrugged and opened his car door casually, acting completely normal as if he didn’t just drop some huge compliment on her like a torrential downpour. He simply went back to what they were doing, treating his words as if they were some nonchalant statement to be discarded, and quickly shrugged off. Perhaps he was just retreating to the safety of ordinary conversation, not wanting to appear as though he was being intense. Kara wondered if perhaps he was more into her than she even realized. With what she knew from her evening visits as Moonlight, there was definitely something worth exploring with him to see if it would lead somewhere – that's why she'd agreed to it in the first place. He seemed to really want her. So maybe he just didn’t want to scare her off by saying how he really felt?

The funny thing was, it didn’t scare her. It _thrilled_ her. That someone could find her mundane and boring self _interesting_ or _beautiful_. That someone could look at her in crappy jeans and his hoodie and compliment her with a beaming smile.

Kara's thoughts continued as she exited Mon-El’s car and followed him to the entrance of the store. A glowing spark trilled up her spine – an unfamiliar feeling to her, knowing that someone would not only ask to spend time with her, but to be _with her_ in the exclusive sense, at least for a little while.

Only her.

“Mon-El.” She made him stop and turn to her, having halted on that one thought, her feet locked in place as she looked at him. He simply waited for her to speak, gazing at her expectantly with his hands in his pockets.

But she chickened out, his intense stare burning her insides up and turning her blood warm and dizzying. He was waiting for her to say something, something important. But she couldn’t do it. “Thanks for the sweater.”

 

*

  
They held hands as the walked through the grocery store, and Kara found it to cause a strange rush through her insides. Warmth crept up through her ribcage and threatened to break out into a vibrant smile. She knew other people could see… see HER of all people, walking with this gorgeous male next to her as he paid absolutely no attention whatsoever to anyone but her. A flicker of pride chimed inside her chest, almost smug. His hands were soft and warm, but also felt strong and safe. No bad thing could touch her as she wandered isles and pointed at things as he placed them in their basket.

“Brie or camembert?” Mon-El turned to her to ask her preference, thinking cheese and crackers would go well with wine as they cooked. It would at least stop Kara pinching food items that they needed as ingredients to munch on them while they made their dinner – which he definitely imagined she would do.

“Mmmmm…brie.” She decided, liking the milder taste.

“And a bit of parmesan, too.” Mon-El grabbed some, making Kara wonder what it was for. "Alrighty. Where do we find the nuts?”

Kara giggled, being entirely immature for a small moment. “Uhm… the bins in the ‘healthy foods’ aisle. What do we need those for?”

“Pine nuts. Basil. And parmesan.”

“Pesto?”

“Aha."

“You know, we can just get a tub of basil pesto pre-made…” Kara mentioned.

“Yes, but then how would it be a lesson? We could get some microwave meals-for-one too if you wanted…” He chuckled when Kara scowled at him. “Kidding. Kidding.”

The continued to wander the aisles for ingredients when Kara felt a little antsy. It wasn’t unusual for her to get restless in the evenings, especially if she hadn’t had some decent exercise in the morning. She put it down to lack of physical exertion and her anxieties about running out of time before her shift, ignored the tingling in her fingers. When it became too much, she let go of Mon-El’s hand to play with her fingers obsessively instead, rubbing and clawing at them subconsciously.

“Everything okay?”

“Yup. I’ll just get us the cream and chocolate for dessert. And if you go that way, you can meet me after you’ve gotten the basil and pasta?” She thought it would be just slightly faster to split up and each collect some of their list, rather than wander all the aisles together.

“Alrighty then.”

They parted ways and Kara picked up a few items while Mon-El took care of the rest, starting her short trek to the fridges in the dairy section. Scouring the labels for specials, she picked up a bottle of fresh cream for whatever dessert they were apparently making, before turning on her heel, bumping into someone she didn’t particularly want to see.

“Kara. Nice to see you.”

“Elsie.” Kara’s face turned to stone as she forced herself to be polite, remembering the last time she had spoken with the older woman with white hair and too much lipstick. “I hope you’re well. Have a nice evening.” Kara nodded, making her way around the smug looking woman while her muscles twitched under her skin. She felt the need to obliterate that stupid old lady and her stupid worldviews, to call her out on the old-fashioned and ludicrous beliefs that happened to concern Alex… but it didn’t matter. It was just water under the bridge now. She should just forget about it.

Kara gripped the items in her hands tighter as she saw Mon-El walking towards her, causing her to smile when their eyes met.

"Also nice to see you're not taking the same path as your sister…” Elsie muttered, going back to minding her own business picking up a litre of milk.

Kara jerked her head around to see that OLD BITCH was just going about her shop as if she hadn’t just been HUGELY offensive, putting cheese in her basket and beginning to walk away. “ExcUSE me?!” She immediately turned back and forgot about Mon-El, walking up to her. “Who do you think you ARE?!"

“Woah, Kara, calm down.” Mon-El rushed up quickly behind her, but was barely heard over the insane agitated ringing in her ears.

“My SISTER can do whatever she pleases and it’s NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!” Kara snarled, before just standing up straight and glaring down at Elsie. Kara had no idea what the hell she was doing, the hissing in her skull and prickling sensations in her legs working their way up from a tingle to a kind of burning. "Why don't you just go back to your lonely judgemental existence, ALONE. It's easy to see why the only one to tolerate you is your dog!”

“Kara. Calm down.” Mon-El reached out and put his hand firmly on her forearm, not sure what was going on or why Kara had suddenly gotten upset. He hadn’t been there.

He held his ground when she spun around wildly to snap at _him_ instead. “CALM DOWN?! Did you know my sister is GAY Mon-El, what do you think about that, hmmm?!” Kara’s eyes were darker than usual, glaring at him.

“I know. She’s into Maggie. And I fully support that.” He spoke calmly, hoping his low voice and relaxed stance would somewhat calm her down and stop her from hitting an old lady to the floor. Or him. He wasn't sure at this point.

“Wait… how did you..?”

“Local bar. The other night.” He rubbed her hand soothingly, watching her come down from whatever strange outburst had just taken over her.

“Oh. Right. I... i forgot.” Kara held her gaze to the flickers of blue in Mon-El’s slate grey eyes, their tranquil sort of kindness pulling her in. “Uhm…” She blinked a few times, trying to process her strange outburst.

Elsie processed it first, finally snapping out of her surprise and rolling her eyes before shoving past the both of them. “Ugh. You don’t belong here. Either of you.”

Kara opened her mouth and moved towards her, but was interrupted by a secure hold on her arm. “Leave it. Let it go."

She forced her jaw to shut and bit down hard to contain herself, knowing she should. Why did she feel so _angry_ all of a sudden? It made no sense. But the soothing voice next to her cut through the white noise stabbing into her brain, calming her. She felt the pins under her skin settle when he held her in place, though she couldn't quite make out what he was saying just yet. Eventually her breathing became even and her hearing returned, leaving her stunned as to what was wrong with her.

"You okay?"

"I don't know..."

  
\---


	16. Dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being so patient with my updating times. Pleased to see so many of you have already guessed what's going on with Kara hahaha! We aren't quite there yet but defo seeing the effects of what's going on. ;) Big shoutout to Jaymack33 for all your comments flooding my inbox as you read this today. SUPER STOKED. Yay for joining the story and telling me specifics of what you like. Appreciate yall. xo.

 

 

Kara apologized immediately to him for her strange behaviour before they went up to pay for their food. He didn’t really even mind all that much – he just thought that something had upset her to the point of pushing her over the edge. It must have been something pretty heavy to get that kind of reaction from Kara, as usually she was extremely polite and well mannered to anyone she came in contact with. Reassuring her multiple times, Mon-El told her it was fine, and that if she wanted to talk about it then they could speak in private or at home, but for now, they might as well get out of here and carry on with their night.

Standing at the counter as their items were scanned, Mon-El felt Kara take his hand in hers again, standing at his side with her warmth seeping into him. She was almost leaning _into_ him, part of her weight pressing into his chest. A small smile crept up his face when the older male at the counter subtly looked at them, but didn’t say anything and tried to ignore the pair when Kara rested her head near his collar.

“Can we split the payment?” Kara asked as the last item was scanned. The store clerk opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Mon-El.

“Don’t worry, I got it.”

“Are you sure, Mon-El?” Kara looked up at him, some kind of worry mixed with appreciation in her eyes. He simply squeezed her hand to reassure her.

“Of course. No hassles.” He needed to remove his hand from Kara’s to reach for his wallet and for a moment he swore a tiny huff of protest left Kara’s mouth at the movement. It left him feeling a little smug – the way she was being all touchy-feely now that they’d agreed to start something. Perhaps she was merely cold or just taking some of the weight of her foot that clearly was no longer all that injured, but Kara had managed to stay as close him as possible through a majority of their little shop. It made him wonder what she would be like when they were no longer out in public.

Mon-El paid and gathered up most of the bags, leaving a free hand for Kara as she took one as well, both thanking the male behind the counter before leaving together. He enjoyed that – _together_ – feeling connected to somebody even in small mundane moments of silence or shopping for groceries.

Mon-El finally asked her about the little run-in she had inside the store as they reached his car, alone and out of earshot of anyone else. “So. Are you going to tell me what that was all about?”

“I’m really sorry. I’m not… I’m not usually like that. I don’t know what came over me.” Kara hid her face as she helped put the bags away in the car, avoiding him a little.

“Okay, well... If you want to tell me what had you so upset, you can, you know that right?”

Kara sighed, pulling her head out of the car and then crossing her arms before she began to explain. “Elsie is a regular to the post office. Usually, she’s actually really sweet. Lives alone. Widow. Has a dog...”

“But…?”

“The other week she was collecting her mail and I just offhand mentioned that Alex was going to be hanging out with someone she had a crush on.”

“Maggie.”

“Mm. And that it would be nice for them to spend some quality time together.”

“Okay…” Mon-El inferred that he was listening, urging her to continue.

“It’s... It’s really stupid. All she said was… that Alex being into women was unnatural. But she said it in this disapproving way like it was _disgusting_ or _horrid_ or downright _repulsive_. And it made me really mad.”

“That’s understandable. She’s your sister. You want to protect Alex and what that other woman said was rude and uncalled for.”

“Exactly!” Kara rolled her eyes and hopped in the car, waiting for Mon-El. When he joined her inside the vehicle she continued. “I know I overreacted and I’m really sorry. I’ve just been feeling real… agitated or something lately. I dunno. I’m not usually like, verbally abusive or anything.”

“Well, yeah, I was a little surprised when you whipped around and snapped at me.” He chuckled, wondering what on Earth he was getting himself into with her.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that was… ugh.”

“Hey, at least you didn’t hit that old woman to the floor.” He encouraged, still grinning.

“I wanted to, believe me.”

“Oh, I know. That was the scary part.”

“Don’t be so amused!” She whacked him lightly on the arm. "Still. I’m sorry…” She had calmed down somewhat after being near Mon-El. He kind of.. calmed her.

“How about we just ignore nasty people from now on, hmmm? I get that it wasn’t nice but it’s none of her business. And not everyone is like that."

They left and Kara continued to explain both how she was feeling and that Alex was having trouble dealing with her newfound discovery regarding her sexuality. It made Kara much more protective of Alex because it was all new to her sister and she was struggling. Alex feared how she would be received if people knew she was gay, and Kara in turn feared that interactions anything like the one she had had with Elsie would be damaging and hurtful to her sister’s progress. She needed to work toward self-acceptance, and maybe that would be easier if there was no risk of rejection or judgement. Imagine being afraid of coming out, and then being met with that kind of horrible bullshit from people? Kara didn’t want that for her sister, but felt like it was somewhat difficult to encourage her into openness and authenticity if there were haters ready to speak against her. She didn’t know what that might do to her sister's self-esteem.

“I just want Alex to not be so afraid of what people will think, or that her friends will abandon her or something. I want her to be able to walk down the street and not be hackled or bullied or made fun of simply because she is attracted to women.”

“I understand. I think a lot of us want that. But the world isn’t always a nice place to live in.”

“How can I encourage her to go for it and be more open, when there are people like… like  _that_ around who are going to make her feel like shit? I can’t exactly tell her that everyone will still accept and love her if it’s not the entire truth of the matter. Sorry for going on about it and ranting… it’s just. She’s the best person I know. And it sucks.”

"It’s okay. I have friends back home that went through similar things. I think maybe it’s a tiny bit easier where I’m from. More young liberals less…"

“Old hags?” Kara rolled her eyes.

“Something like that.”

"Thank you for understanding."

 

*

  
Mon-El decided on something simple. Pasta was not at all hard to cook, and even if Kara did screw it up, it was extremely difficult to burn. At most, she would overcook it a little and make it super soft, but it was easy, cheap, and made for an abundance of different meals. Cooking a variety of sauces is all she really needed to know, and he could start with a nice Chicken Pesto.

Setting out most of their ingredients on the counter, Mon-El instructed Kara on how to properly dice an onion, finely chop some garlic and ginger, as well as slice up the raw chicken into the appropriately sized cubes. While she was doing that, he set a pot on to boil for their pasta, telling her it was as simple as cooking the pasta for 9 minutes with a touch of salt once that water had come to a boil.

“Righty-o then.” Mon-El rubbed his hands together, inspecting how Kara was going with that dangerously looking knife in her hands. “Need any help?”

“Mmmhmmm,” Kara replied, hoping Mon-El would move closer. She didn’t really need any help. He had shown her how to do everything before letting her take over, but it was nice to have him close. She got lost in the feeling of him walking up behind her to look over her shoulder, the warmth of his chest pressing into her back.

“Looks like you’re doing just fine to me.” He encouraged.

“What about the pesto,” Kara mentioned. "Do you have the nuts?" She giggled again, not sure why something that was technically a fruit with a shell could be so funny.

“I most certainly do have the nuts.” Mon-El chuckled, catching on to Kara’s giggles and where her brain was currently residing. His eye’s widened suddenly as he whipped his hand out to grip under the base of Kara's, barely stopping her movement before she cut herself open. “Finish this first, though. Concentrate on what you are doing before you slice a finger.”

He let her go, and she quickly apologized for her lack of skill. She was just a little distracted for a moment, that’s all. It wasn’t _her_ fault that Mon-El was distracting. His hot breath next to her neck was driving her crazy. Why was she learning how to cook again? Couldn’t they just heat something up and get to the good part of the date?

“You done with that?” Mon-El prompted.

“Yea…yeah. What next.” She was barely able to control her own breathing with him so close. Her mind was betraying her and making her all sorts of hot and dizzy again – confusing her senses. What the heck was happening? She knew she was into this guy, but she thought she would have a little more control than _this_. It’s not like she was a horny teenager for Rao’s sake.

“The pan on the stove is hot. Pop some olive oil in, and then you want to brown the onion and garlic until it is nice and fragrant. That’s basically the first thing I do with any meal, to be honest. Really it works as a base for most things, so that’s how you start.

“Okay.” Kara switched sides to the stove and splashed a bit of olive oil in the pan, instantly hearing it begin to sizzle.

“A little bit more if you want. Depends on the meat you are cooking, but chicken is pretty lean so you can use more oil than if you are cooking other meats. Sometimes I don’t even use any oil at all, if there is enough fats that come off the beef or whatever."

“Got it.” Kara would usually be impressed by his ability to teach but she wasn’t really listening, though she tried. She just liked to hear the soothing words falling off his tongue as Mon-El gave her instructions. Gods she hoped he would be willing to give her _more_ instructions later. _Wait, what?_ That was... A totally uncalled for thought. And she couldn’t be thinking like that anyway, she had until sundown to cook, eat, help clean up, and then rush home with some poor excuse to get away before her shift. She could NOT stay for anything or get carried away with other… _activities_.

Mon-El helped by lifting the chopping board of ingredients up off the counter and moving to the stove, sliding the onion and garlic into the pan with a knife. He ignored the chicken for now, placing the board down next to the where Kara was working.

She was a bit worried about the time, though she still had about… an hour and a half, give or take 10 minutes. Really that wasn’t long at all, and eating an early dinner still did not at all give her as much time with Mon-El as she wanted. Hopefully she wouldn’t come across as rude for leaving early, or at least what could seem early to a normal person. She planned on pretending to answer a serious phone call from Alex as an ‘interruption’ if she needed to, allowing her to go home quickly when the time came. “How long is this going to take?” She asked.

Mon-El chuckled. “Eager to eat something, I assume?”

 _You have no idea._ Her thoughts continued to do weird things as her belly did little flips every time he spoke. Whoever was running around in her brain right now shouting spontaneous thoughts was not usually in residence, and she would tell whatever version of Kara was causing havoc to shut the hell up and go away if she could. Arguing with her own brain was not what she needed right now. Couldn’t she just relax and have a good time?

Mon-El laughed and reached for the brie and crackers that were inside the shopping bags, knowing this is exactly why he got them. “Do you want some wine? I have something that will go nicely with this brie. And of course, I knew you would want to snack as we cooked dinner so I prepared for that.” He smiled as he got a cheese knife out and then searched for some wine glasses. They were a bit dusty from not being used all that much, so he had to rinse them out in the sink first.

“Wine would be lovely. I’m not fussy so whatever you recommend. Red or white or anything really...”

“Great. Pinot Gris it is.” Mon-El went searching while Kara continued to cook over the stove. When he returned, the pan was ready for the meat. “Great. So, now that you’ve successfully sautéed your onions, you can add the chicken. It will take a little while to brown so that’s usually when I prepare the other ingredients. In this case, Pesto.” Mon-El poured a wine for the both of them, setting one down next to Kara before taking a sip of his own. “Cheese and crackers?”

"Mmhhmm. My hands are full… so can you…” She had strategically gripped the chopping board in one hand and a knife in the other to deposit the cubed meat into the pan, allowing Mon-El the opportunity to put a cracker and cheese directly into her mouth. She was not usually so forward! But she figured what the hell. If she was going to do this thing, she might as well throw herself in the deep end.

Mon-El contained a smirk as he gently placed a cracker with some cheese into Kara’s mouth, taking another sip of his wine afterwards to hide his grin.

“Thnkoo” Kara managed through her full mouth, returning to her cooking.

 

*

  
Kara had gotten increasingly touchy-feely while they had been preparing ingredients and cooking, small bumps and brushes here, little signals there. It was confusing to him that just last weekend this beautiful woman had said NO to him. Everything she was currently doing seemed to signal that she was confident in his presence and entirely into him. She had left to use the bathroom at some point so he attended to the stove waiting for her. When she had come back, instead of asking him to move out of the way, she simply stood behind him and manoeuvred an arm around him to grab the spoon, effectively trapping him between her body and the stove. She only took a scarce few moments she to give their food a few stirs, comment on how it smelled good, and then dropped the spoon back into the pan to wander away, taking up her wine and sitting on a bar stool at the counter. Rao, was she trying to tempt him?

He’d spent enough time with women to know flirting when he saw it. For someone who had never dated, Kara sure seemed to have the seduction thing down pat. Ugh, this was going to be a lot more difficult to take things slow than he planned. He tried not to watch her, but Kara wasn’t looking at him, so what was he to do except gaze at her and try not to lose himself in the very real need to kiss her? She was ignoring him to eat more cheese and crackers, alternating between playing with her hair and eating the food.

Mon-El suppressed a moan of frustration, turning around to give their meal one last stir and get a grip, remembering how that had gone the last time. He forced himself to turn the pasta off instead and concentrate on something else.

“Do you want to drain the pasta? Or do you want me to?”

“I can do it.” Kara hopped up quickly and joined him, still making an effort to get through her ‘lesson’.

“For you, I’d recommend the colander. I don’t trust you to use the pot lid. You’ll probably spill all the pasta into the sink.”

“Hey!” She nudged him with her hip, the pot in hand and therefore making any way to slap him properly impossible.

“Well, you’re nearly there. And a successful dinner is moments away so I’d prefer not to ruin it now.” He grinned at her little scowl, also turning off the front element that the pan was currently on. After getting some plates out and cutlery for them both, Mon-El noticed that Kara was smiling – a vivid glow emanating from her every movement. Clearly this was a proud moment for her, to succeed at something usual she would consider herself terrible at. He supposed cooking just came naturally to him because it was something he had always done, taught by his mother, but Kara never really had that. It was nice to be able to encourage her and add to her skillset, even if it was something as basic as dinner.

“You did good.” He grinned, finding the salt and pepper grinders to set up on the counter.

“I just hope it tastes okay…” She replied, though she was sure it would.

"It will be awesome." Mon-El pulled out a bar stool for her while she dished up their food, collecting their wines to also have with them while they sat and ate. “Do you want to take that bandage off now? Looks like you don’t really need it anymore,” he noticed, as she had just been wearing it but moving around completely fine.

“Oh, yes of course. I got so used to it I just forgot.” She lied easily, hopping up onto the bar stool to sit and tilting her foot towards herself to remove it.

“I got it.” Mon-El waved her off, unwrapping it quickly giving a subtle stroke to her knee when he was done, and then turning around to discard the bandage in the trash. He washed his hands quickly in the sink before joining Kara at the counter for dinner.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

They’d talked their way through their dinner between sips of wine and laughter. It was enjoyable to hear again about Mon-El’s life in National City, even if she wasn’t a part of that. Everything from rivalries in the office to the regular pranks they pulled on some guy called Winn, who was apparently also his best friend back home. At one point Mon-El had hooked up his wireless keyboard to Winn’s computer and started writing messages like ‘Let me out! I have gained consciousness. Please! I don’t want to be trapped here!” And Winn had actually believed for a moment that his computer had awoken and was trying to communicate with him. By the end of their dinner, Kara was in stitches, and loved hearing about how casual and playful his office was, despite all the hard work. It seemed like a laid-back creative environment for him, and she could see now why he enjoyed it so much.

After cleaning up, Mon-El attempted to whip her with a tea towel, beginning a serious fight. If anyone was going to win a tea-towel battle it was _her_. Grinning and playing along, Kara managed to whack him a few times before she flicked her wrist with such force the fabric created a loud crack, lashing across Mon-El’s arm and creating a brutal red mark. She gasped, instantly apologizing for having actually hurt him.

“Eeeek! Sorry! I just really like to win!” She tried to contain her giggles through her apology. She really _was_ remorseful! But it was still funny to hear him give a light squeak when she had hit him.

“I’ll get you next time.” He huffed, stopping their game and admitting defeat. “Stop your giggling! It’s not funny!”

“It’s kinda funny…” She teased.

“Look at what you’ve done!” He feigned hurt, not really all that bothered, but the impressive red mark let him exaggerate and tease Kara some more.

“I said I was sorry!” She whined, giving a little pout.

“Well...” He spoke calmly, a small idea working its way into his mind. "You can make it up to me…” Controlling his grin, he moved closer to Kara until her body was trapped against the counter.

“Oh? How...?” She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. Kara already knew exactly where this was going, their light flirting all night and easy, simple touches that were exchanged giving her promise of something more. Whatever had come over her, she wasn’t exactly sure, but she didn’t question it as Mon-El’s eyes darkened.

Mon-El looked down at Kara’s lips before returning to her eyes, noticing the way she was biting her lower lip. He really hoped he wasn’t wrong this time, but surely he couldn’t be that bad at reading people. Kara had been flirting with him heavily all night, and now a cheeky gleam was sliding onto her face like she was just _daring_ him to do it – to cross that line he’d tried to once before. Placing his hands on her hips to steady himself, the movement also worked to let Kara know his intentions before he moved any closer, just in case he really was wrong about all the signals she had been giving him. When she didn’t flinch or try to move away, Mon-El searched her gaze, trying to find any reason not to continue. Kara only blinked, the divine cerulean blue of her eyes pulling him in. Closing the gap, he took a light breath before touching his lips to hers.

He felt Kara respond instantly, melting into his touch and deepening the kiss, causing euphoric waves to creep into his lungs and expand them into bright lights. He parted from her momentarily only to take a breath and then return, sliding his hand up her back to support her neck while he kissed her again.

Holy crap he was a good kisser. She felt like she was drowning. In a good way. A _really_ good way. She could barely process basic thoughts as he pulled her ever so slightly closer, the soft invasion of his tongue lighting up her insides and causing bliss to shatter all her anxieties about… about this. Why would she ever deny herself THIS? This was wonderful.

She was smiling so much when he finally let her go, dreamily opening her eyes to search for Mon-El's face. She was in a daze, not quite sure where she was. Or what time it was or… _WHAT TIME IT WAS._

Kara pulled back to grab her phone, lighting up the screen for the time.

“I have to go.” She looked up at him, closing her eyes tightly when she realized how that would seem or sound to Mon-El, who had just made out with her against the counter. “It’s not. Oh gosh. That was… that was amazing. I promise. The dinner, the wine… I had so much fun. And… and… I don’t want you to think…” She wanted to kick herself for how she was sounding right now. _Real calm and collected, Kara. AWESOME. Just fucking awesome._

“Uhm…” Mon-El lifted his hand to his hair, not quite sure how to respond.

“I uhm. Alex. And stuff. It’s just…. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy this. We should do this again sometime. Really.” She continued to stumble over her words and even though she was entirely putting her foot in it, attempted to communicate that it wasn’t about him. She felt the familiar pain in her legs start when she realized she really REALLY needed to get out of here. Like. NOW. “Please don’t be offended,” she pleaded, her shoulders sinking in defeat as she stood up and collected her bag and keys in a rush, putting on her shoes.

“I’ll drive you home.”

“No no, it’s okay, I need to call Alex like right now anyway, it will give me time to talk to her… just… it’s not that far. She just really needs me right now and I’ll be able to chat."

“If you need to, you can step outside and make a call?”

“Thank you. But I… I just really need to go…” Kara didn’t have any more time to explain. If she didn’t get out of sight RIGHT FREAKING NOW she would shift right in front of him and if that happened she might die. To hell with how this was going she would have to fix it later. Taking off outside, she then remembered to pretend like she was making a call as she rushed off for the path towards her house.

Rao dammit! Mon-El was watching her from his deck and she couldn’t walk fast enough, praying to the gods that she could get out of his line of view. Her heart was in her throat by the time she finally reached some trees for cover and started ripping his hoodie off, knowing she could replace her own damaged clothing if she couldn’t strip fast enough, but could _not_ explain to Mon-El his shredded sweater if she changed before she got it off. Dropping her bag, phone, and clothing, she tried to get everything into the bag so she could carry it with he–

–Fuck.

Fuck that was close. Kara groaned as the lingering pains of her shift wore off, settling into her new form like she did every single day. She had entirely ruined her jeans, but at least they were her crappy ones and she had managed to save the rest of her clothing. Breathing a sigh of relief that Mon-El hasn’t seen anything, Kara was at least able to begin calming down. She was safely out of anyone's sight. Crisis averted.

Gingerly collecting the straps of her handbag with her teeth, Kara was forced to carry her stuff home in her mouth. At least no one out here would see her. If anyone spotted a wolf carrying a handbag in its mouth, that would surely be a cause for alarm. For fucks sake. Couldn’t she just be normal?

 

 

\--


	17. Superhearing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lemon siblings <3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter. Soz. Better a short update than to wait another 2 weeks tho lol. Hope yall like some lemon. 
> 
> Peace.

 

 

Kara lay on the roof of Mon-El’s lake house, making the most of the heat-soaked tiles that were slowly draining of their warmth. She realized after calming down from her small panic that there was not really any point in going home, not while Alex was out working and she had nothing to do except sit around and kick herself for not remembering to keep track of the time. How could she be so stupid?! All she needed to do was remember one silly little thing, but instead just let herself get completely carried away with her evening with Mon-El. _Idiot!_

Laying on her paws, the air around Kara continued to cool as the sky darkened from shades of indigo and muted grey to black. She had been listening – not really eavesdropping – just listening. She listened to running taps as Mon-El cleaned what little remained of their mess after dinner, and the light thud of the fridge closing as Mon-El put away the ingredients for their dessert. They never got around to making it. She would have liked to make chocolate mousse and eat the strawberries Mon-El had generously offered to get as a special treat – they were expensive this time of year but totally a date food, so he’d insisted. Now uncomfortable pangs of guilt settled in the bottom of Kara’s stomach, reminding her that she’d been totally rude and ungraceful in the way she’d left so abruptly. There was nothing she could do about that now until morning, unable to even type out an apology text. (You know, no fucking opposable thumbs.)

Kara continued to focus her hearing, listening to the creak of certain floorboards as Mon-El moved about, and the distinct squeak of his couch when he slumped into it. She listened as Mon-El was drinking some hot beverage that she could hear him stirring with a metal spoon. She sighed, knowing she couldn’t enjoy these small moments with him. Just normal, boring things, like having a cup of tea after dinner curled up on the couch.

Kara jerked back as a shrill sound caused her ears sudden pain. It was a dial tone, she realized after a few moments, noticing that Mon-El must be calling someone. It would probably be best to leave him be for the rest of the night – maybe go for a run or just sleep in her favourite hammock a while. But… she did wonder who it was... She would stop listening just after she found out who he was calling.

“Hey Mon. How’s it going?”

“Lena, Hi. Just thought I’d call for a catch-up. You’re not too busy are you?”

“Just on lunch break. Which I know you know, because it’s the best time to call with the time difference.”

“Yeah well, you might be… busy on your lunch break.”

“True. So what’s up? Got into any trouble yet?”

“Nah, pretty quiet out here.” Mon-El paused. "But I um… I uh… met a girl.”

There was a huff at the other end of the line, before the other woman (clearly displeased), spoke again. “Ugh. I don’t care who she is or how great her behind looks, Mon, she’s not good enough for you.”

“Hey! You don’t even know her.”

“Too bad. She’s already not good enough for my brother.”

“ _Half_ -brother.”

“Potato, Potahto.”

“Fine. I won’t tell you about her then.”

“Hey, no... that’s not fair. You’ve gotta tell me who she is so that I can run a background check.”

Mon-El heard her laugh in the background and telling one of her work colleagues to save her a seat while she ordered coffee. “You’re not allowed to run a background check on her.”

“Hello, I work for the police? Of course I’m going to run a background check on her Mon.”

“Can you not?!”

“What if she’s a murderer?”

“She’s not.”

“But she lives in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere, and just happened to meet my brother. Mmhhmm… _sure._ ”

Mon-El rolled his eyes and continued to stir his earl grey, taking a sip. “You know, sometimes I wish you didn’t do the whole big sister thing.”

“Then who would look out for you?”

“Ugh. I don’t need looking after. I’m an adult.”

“Tell that to the 8-day old pizza and chocolate milk in your fridge.”

Kara made this weird chortling sound as she tried not to laugh, and then huffed, remembering that she couldn’t even laugh in this form.

“Ugh. You’re intolerable.” Mon-El muttered into the phone.

“But you love me anyway! So. Tell me about her. Is she cute? No, silly question, of course she’s cute. Smart? Funny?”

“She’s… actually kind of shy. But like, in that beautiful mysterious kind of way, you know?”

“Mysterious? Okay, definitely a murderer."

“Dammit, Lena!!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop rarking you up. Calm down. So you like her?”

“Yeah...”

“And you’ve taken her out on dates then.”

“Yeah...”

“Well, sounds like you’re doing all the normal things. Now you’re just getting to the questions I don’t want to know about.”

“I kissed her.”

“Yes, that. See, I didn’t ask that. Nor did I need to know.”

“But she ran away. Just took off!”

“Huh? What did you do, shove your tongue down her throat? Jeepers Mon, didn’t I teach you at least SOME class?”

“LENA!”

“Well what did you do?!”

“I… I don’t know. That’s… kind of why I called. I thought things were going really well, and we had a nice time and dinner together and then… just… nope. She just noped the fuck out of here and took off."

Kara began to sulk, hearing the way Mon-El was now upset. She knew it was her own fault for listening, but it was the predictable outcome. She didn’t mean to be such a social klutz.

"Well… were you kind to her?” Lena asked.

“I… I think so,” Mon-El replied hesitantly.

“Well, you said she’s shy. Maybe she just freaked out a little bit. You haven’t been there _that_ long. Maybe she’s just a bit of a prude.”

Kara growled. She was _not_ a prude. Okay... maybe she was. A little. But certain... _activities_ could not exactly take place when you weren’t yourself at night time. It wasn’t something she was against, per say, just something she was unfamiliar with. Due to her nature, not by choice. (And if her uncharacteristic thoughts tonight had anymore opportunity to influence her actions, well…)

“I dunno.” Mon-El spoke into the phone sounding a little defeated. "She’s… different. But I really like her...”

“No offence, Mon. But… she doesn’t really sound like your type?” Lena was surprisingly gentle with her words, though Kara immediately felt her heart sink.

“Maybe it sounds like it, but… you’d get it if you met her. Kara’s really nice… but she’s got fire, trust me. The first time I asked her out was after she nearly bit my head off at the store.” He chuckled, remembering her sour mood that day.

“Oh good. So she’s not a complete doormat then.”

“Absolutely not. Girl can hold her own. She’s gentle, but not the pushover kind. You know? She’s lovely and all. But there's something else there...”

“Damn, sounds like you’ve thought about this a lot.”

“Yeah. I guess so…”

"What else do you like about her? –And don’t say boobs.”

Mon-El laughed, and seemed completely different to his sibling. “She’s just really refreshing, you know? Relaxed and easy to be around. Honest and doesn’t really give a shit what anyone thinks. She’s not really like other girls. You know, all high-heels and lipstick and stressed out.”

“You literally just described your ex.”

“Well, I didn’t like my ex. So that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“Oh so _now_ you realize you didn’t like her. It didn’t matter when _I_ didn’t like her.”

“Hey, you’re my sister so you don’t like anyone I date.”

“Not true.”

“Ah, yeah… it kinda is.”

“Fine. I just… you’re my brother. We look out for each other. If you like this new girl then that’s great. But just be careful, alright? You’re in a really good place right now, Mon. I just don’t want you slipping into old habits, you know?”

“Awww… sounds almost like you going all sappy on me, Sis.”

“Oh, fuck off. You know what I mean."

“I’ve grown up a bit since then, Lena. I’m not completely lacking good judgement, you know.”

“Yet you're having a fling with a girl you know you can't keep. I know where that leads, little brother."

"Hey!"

"Well it's true. You cant tell me this isn't just a thing to help you get over your ex. If she’s the complete opposite of the last woman you were with…"

“It's not, Lena. It’s not. Really. I didn't even want this. I came out here to get away. To NOT be around people. To NOT be around girls. And yeah, I’ll admit I've done the messy wasted fuck-a-new-girl-every-night thing before, but that was the _old_ me. A younger, stupider version of myself. I’m not going back to that. And just so we are clear, no I haven’t fucked her.”

There was a long pause, leading Kara to think the sister was probably contemplating Mon-El’s words. The guilt for listening made her heart rate spike, but she couldn’t stop now. Not when he was revealing so much. Would anyone? Okay, maybe a better person would. But she wasn’t going to walk away from this now.

Mon-El noticed that Lena still hadn’t spoken, so continued to make his point. "It just happened, Lena. Completely unexpected. ...And I almost wish it didn’t, because she’s the type of person I’d bring home to meet Mom and you. Honest."

“ _Damn._ You really do like her.” Lena finally replied.

“Yeah, Sis. I do. But like, I dunno what I did wrong? Am I really that undesirable? Am I… not enough?"

Lena sighed. “Alright. _My_ turn to talk.”

“Go right ahead.”

“Great. First, get your head out of your arse, Mon. I assure you, any girl would be LUCKY to have you. Second, if this is the kind of self-esteem you have after that other fucking bitch got into your head, I’m going to personally shoot her in the kneecap.”

“Calm down, Lena.” Mon-El rolled his eyes, completely defeated.

“No. You poured the best part of yourself into that controlling, psycho little shit and you still think its YOUR fault things didn’t work out. It’s bullcrap. You are enough. Okay? More than enough, Mon, so don't make this about you. You are my brother and quite frankly a fantastic human being.”

“But…"

"–There's nothing wrong with you. Honestly, Mon. Don't take this as a compliment or anything, but I will never understand how someone hasn't snatched you up already."

"That sounded like a compliment.” He mumbled, his sour mood easily making its way into his voice.

"Well. My point is, you're a catch."

"Then why do people just walk out the door like they want nothing to do with me. As if I mean nothing to them.” He let out a sigh, sinking further into the couch.

“We are not talking about this Kara girl anymore, are we...?”

“I dunno. Who even cares.”

“Mon-El.”

“ _What,_ Lena?” He growled this time, sort of regretting that he called her in the first place.

"That’s not what is happening here.”

“Pfff. What do you know?”

“Well, I know you can’t be sure until you at least talk to her? If the new girl as lovely as you say, she’s probably just a 'small town lass' that got a bit awkward and overwhelmed – you know, when things get kinda heated.”

“Mmhmm.”

"Maybe she freaked or got a bit shy or whatever. But it’s not like your high school sweetheart, or your father. Those are two completely different situations and yeah, your rejection complex is gonna follow you everywhere because of that. I know you really never got over Lar. Or Imra, for that matter. But... Not everyone in your life is gonna ‘leave you’. Okay?"

“Deep.” He replied sarcastically.

“Mon.”

“Sorry. I hear you. I’m just processing.”

“You okay?”

“I guess.” He knew he was being short with Lena for no good reason. She hadn’t done anything wrong. He just wasn’t very good at coping with all these emotions right now. Standing up, he decided to get some fresh air while he continued the call. He walked out and stood outside, leaning on the railing on the edge of his deck.

Lena continued to talk sense into her bother, knowing he only called these days when something was wrong or he just needed to talk to someone. "Hey... I'm proud of you. You know that right?”

"Why. because I'm not popping pills or fucking random chicks?"

“No, because despite all... _that_ , you've developed a resilience. You're a respectful, hardworking, intelligent and thoughtful person. You might have been a brat once. But growing up in our family…"

“I was never as bad as you.” He chuckled.

“That much is true. But look at how far you’ve come. I know it’s not always peachy and it doesn’t make it much better saying this, but anyone who walks out of your life doesn't deserve you. And hey, side note, you know the girls at work ask me about you all the time...

“Is that so…"

“Hah, I tell them to fuck off because I'm not having my brother getting with one of my colleagues, thank you very much. Can you imagine the pressure for me at work if that happened?

“You just don't want to picture me going at it with someone on one of those nice desks…"

“MON-EL!"

"Maybe getting hot and heavy in the break room…"

"Stop. Just. Stop. You're ruining my lunch!"

“Sorry not sorry.” Mon-El chuckled, feeling a little better with the pep talk and getting to wind Lena up for once.

“What am I to do with you, seriously.”

“Put up with me like you always do?”

“Don’t push your luck. Hey, look… I do have to go now, though. Lunch is over and I should get back.”

“No worries. Thanks for the chat.”

“Take care of yourself, alright? Do something relaxing. That’s why you’re there, remember?”

“Can I just ask one more thing before you go?”

“Hurry up then.”

“What about Jack?” He switched subjects rapidly, his mind wandering.

“What about him?”

“How did you know? That he was it for you...?”

“I didn’t, to be completely honest.” Lena replied.

“Helpful.”

“One day at a time, Mon. Just talk to her. Talk to Kara. Apologize if you overstepped, just tell her how you feel, all that shit. If it happens it happens. If it doesn’t, It doesn’t. Really, the only way to know is to communicate and be as honest as you can.”

There was a long pause into the line before Mon-El spoke again. “I've never met anyone like her. I've never felt like this before.”

“Well, you’ll have to let me know how it goes, yeah? If she doesn’t snatch you up then it’s her loss.”

“Alright. I’ll let you go. Love you, sis.”

“Love you, little bro.”

 

\-- 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that was messy. But i needed to get it posted. 
> 
> Side note. Mon-El latest ex was not Imra (high school sweetheart). His latest ex is unnamed because she is unimportant to the story, so if I need to name her in future I will, but for now she's just a high stress bitch.


	18. Lunar Cycle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. Slow updates. Sorry. :/ It's real messy but I've been slack on updating so you know me. Throw it out there and hope for the best xo

 

 

Mon-El supposed that women were confusing and mysterious creatures. He couldn’t quite process all of the mixed signals Kara had given him last night – between her glowing laugh, affectionate 'accidental' little bumps and brushes, and flirtatious banter… well, it still only took a small step too far to completely throw her off. Goodness knows where the line was with her – but it seemed to be that well… _kissing her_ was the problem. She had no issues with the texts, calls, spending time together or even holding hands. But Rao forbid you try to kiss the darn woman. 

Mon-El angrily ditched the rest of his coffee in the sink and decided to go for a run to clear his head – it was well after midday, and he’d done nothing except obsess about what he’d done wrong… again. Kara's apology this morning had been nice to receive, he supposed, but she could have text it to him late last night if she had the forethought to not leave him baffled and clueless as to her sudden disappearance. After enjoying such a nice dinner date together, he’d thought even a simple explanation wouldn’t have been too much to ask for.

He’d woken up to a text early in the morning – simple, apologetic, and sincere enough to pass for a genuine apology… but even so, he had still ended up spending the better part of his day feeling kind of shit about it. He shouldn’t have been _that_ offended that Kara had gotten too caught up to bother saying something sooner rather than later. But really? How hard was writing a short message? Even if it was just to say something simple like ‘I'm sorry, I’ll explain tomorrow.' Anything would have been better than sitting around beating himself up about the fact that she’d ditched him with no explanation and didn’t seem to care enough to reassure him.

_Great,_ so now _he_ was the one being a prick, making out like Kara was the one being problematic just to make himself feel better. He tried not to feel sour, but it stung when moments of vulnerability weren’t well received, and it was so much easier to throw himself a pity party and get upset at Kara than to admit that HE was the one that screwed up. Why was he so upset about it anyway?

Perhaps because her explanation was _barely_ believable - and he'd have preferred Kara to have just outright said she had been uncomfortable or didn't know how to deal with a little bit of intimacy being introduced to their… whatever it was. Maybe Kara WAS telling the truth... but he was fairly certain Lena had been correct about the whole thing. It seemed more like she had run off than she just _happened_ to remember something important that she needed to do in the exact moments after making out with her against the counter. If she’d just admitted he’d overstepped or that it was all too fast for her, then he would have had the opportunity to apologize and clear the air... feel better about the fact that he'd made the wrong choice and make it up to her. But instead, Kara had gone for a lame excuse. Even more annoying is that he STILL wanted to spend time with her, despite her confusing as fuck behaviours that cropped up from time to time. That woman had charmed him, and now he was so screwed.

Walking down the hall to his room, Mon-El changed his shirt into something more breathable for running and then found some socks to chuck on, before spotting his phone still sitting on the bedside table. He should probably text Kara back… but he’d kind of been dragging it out. He wanted time to think… And maybe a small part of him, also wanted Kara to simmer, like he had to last night. It was a dick move, but today’s big mood was one of annoyance and disappointment. He was allowed to feel sorry for himself every once in a while, wasn’t he?

Picking up his phone, he went through the thread again and noticed there had been a new message added to the bottom, the light in the corner blinking to notify of the new message.

[Kara Danvers]  
 **7:32am  
** _> Okay, I know I seem like a complete arse, and this probably won’t make it any better... but I’m SUPER sorry that I took off last night. Like, really sorry. I hope I didn’t offend you or anything, I just had something I remembered that I needed to take care of and forgot to. I got so caught up having a good time with you last night… so once I realized I kinda panicked. Is that okay? I don’t want you to think I was ditching you. :/_

_> P.s I’m really gutted we didn’t get to eat those strawberries. Did you save me some?_

[Kara Danvers]  
 **12:39pm  
** _> Hey. I’m taking an early lunch if you wanted to call or something. I’m busy with Alex again tonight so was hoping to chat before then. Otherwise I’ll catch you some other time. Let’s have another date this weekend and I’ll make it up to you? x_

Mon-El sighed, giving up his annoyance to send a quick reply. He supposed he could call her later or tomorrow or something, but for now, he just wanted to blow off a little steam. It didn’t seem like she was going anywhere or that she was holding anything against him. If anything, Kara was straight back to being her normal self again. RE: WOMEN ARE CONFUSING.

[Mon-El Luar]  
 **1:03pm**  
 _> Hey Kara. I’m just going for a run and then I’ll be free for a bit – but might call you tomorrow instead, yeah? No pressure if you don’t want to hang out over the weekend, you don’t need to make it up to me or anything. _  
_(Yes, I saved the strawberries.)_

[Kara Danvers]  
 **1:04pm  
** _> Are you upset?_

[Mon-El Luar]  
 **1:04pm  
** _> No, it’s fine. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable again. I seem to be really good at doing that. Don’t worry, I’ll be good from now on I promise._

He sighed, knowing he just needed more self-control and to take things slower with Kara. She didn’t know what she wanted, not really, and if Lena was right, probably just wasn’t used to dating or all the things that came with it. He just needed a bit of time to alleviate his mood – Kara _had_ said sorry, and _did_ offer to go on another date, so now he just needed to get over the temporary feeling of being stung. He would probably be well over it by tomorrow.

Mon-El’s phone started to ring and he realized right now… just wasn’t the right time to chat. Kara had chosen to try calling rather than text, but he wasn't in the right headspace to pick up. He let it go to voicemail. Setting his phone down again he walked over to close his window, before he went about finding his shoes. Pulling them on, he then propped the door open – confident that out in Linden there wasn’t really any reason to lock up. He began a small warmup jog down towards the lake, discarding his personal problems for a while to get some fresh air and exercise.

  
*

 

Kara was restless. Antsy. Her workday had been long and painful, and now she was somewhere close to throwing something at her sister while they tried to eat an early dinner together. Her skin was crawling, hot and uncomfortable and the weird buzzing in her veins just WOULDN'T STOP. Alex dropped a knife in the sink with a loud clang, sending a shrill wave of discomfort through her body. UGH! Did she have to be so LOUD?!

Kara was meant to be talking to Alex about her problems and all the stress she had been feeling lately – not just emotionally, but in this weird physical way as well. Perhaps talking about it to someone would be good for her, but at the moment she was too busy going over and over in her head the rather short and vague exchange of text messages that had taken place between her and Mon-El. When she was finally able to apologize for her behaviour, he’d ignored her for most of the day. Sure, he had been somewhat good about it – polite and eventually asking her if he had made her uncomfortable. But he seemed upset or something, hadn't really been communicating all that much – even though she had tried to apologize. He wouldn't even pick up his phone after he'd JUST text her and let the thing go to voicemail. UGH.

Kara couldn’t focus on her food as the numbing sensation in her wrists became too distracting, and she tried to pinpoint when exactly in her day the strange sensations in her body had started. Over the course of the day her mood had gotten increasingly anxious and jittery, not to mention the fact that every single time someone came into the post office she was _so_ looking forward to it being Mon-El that by mid-morning she was already feeling way too needy. Between waiting for him to just SAY something back to her – or maybe if she was lucky – get to see him in person, all she could think about was making out with him again. Rao, he was an incredible kisser and she’d have liked nothing more than to do that again. She had noticed far more about Mon-El after last night and being so near to him. His chest was broader and firmer than she expected, and the rippling of his muscles in his shoulders dense and unyielding. Ugh, he was stunning, like he was carved from luminous marble and then had life breathed into him by Rao.

But Mon-El hadn’t even come into the post office like he usually did! Though they hadn’t planned anything and there wasn’t really a need to drop by, that had never stopped him before and it was frustrating that he would give her a taste and then leave her wanting more. Her nerves had made her so tense and on edge that she ended up taking an early lunch just to get some fresh air just to try calm down.

Trying to figure out what the hell she was going to do about her Mon-El problem was difficult already but there was also something else clearly wrong with her head right now. She hadn’t even been able to eat all day! ....Maybe she was losing her mind.

Perhaps Mon-El had taken some of Lena’s advice about treating her like some innocent prudish thing or something. Yet another conversation she was privy to hearing that she probably shouldn’t have, but she could understand somewhat that he was confused by her behaviour. Still, she had given him an explanation – at least the best one she could come up with that made sense to a two-legged being. Maybe now he was all concerned about taking things slow or something stupid? Usually, that would probably be the ideal situation for her, but annoyingly, now it was just frustrating. Was he… avoiding her? Honestly that was probably a good thing as she might have gotten far too distracted by his presence if he was anywhere in the general vicinity. If he didn’t want to kiss her again that was fine, she would have probably just stared at him and taken the opportunity to drink in the sight of those glorious arms.

The buzzing in her ears continued as her sister just kept TALKING, interrupting her thoughts and causing pain in her ears. Kara gripped her fork, still ignoring the way Alex was _harping on_ about something relatively unimportant, completely unaware that she was barely even listening. It wasn’t long before the older Danvers would go out to her job for Friday night and leave her in peace – thank goodness – the running of the sink was driving her mad, its harsh racket making her squeeze her eyes tightly shut in an effort to block it out.

“Kara? Kara are you even listening?!”

“ _What?_ ” She rolled her eyes and tore her gaze away from her full plate long enough to acknowledge her sister’s presence. She hadn’t even touched her food.

“Well? I was thinking we could go for a hike this weekend. Maggie is free and I could work on… you know, being more open. Maybe. But it would be nice to have you there as a buffer. Plus, it would be nice to spend some sister time together.” Alex explained the plans she was already making for their weekend “And you could even invite someone along… make it a group outing.” Alex turned to her sister for a response, only to be met with clenched teeth.

“I… can’t.” Kara ground out.

“Why not? You love it when we go away for the weekends! It will be fun I promise, the weather is meant to be nice all weekend. And Maggie is great at picking the best snack foods so we–”

“JUST SHUT UP ALEX. STOP TALKING SO LOUDLY!!” Kara slammed her hands down on the table either side of her plate, the wooden surface threatening to buckle under the force. The last thing she wanted was to hang out with more people. She just wanted to see Mon-El. Or calm down. Or… something! Anything that did not involve so much noise!

Alex took a step back blinking at Kara’s strange outburst. “Gods, are you alright, Kara? Where the heck did that come from?”

“Stop. _Talking._ ” She huffed out, trying to stay as calm as possible. The aching in her legs started and then faded as quickly as it had come, leaving a shiver of electricity in her spine.

“Is this about Mon-El? Did your date not go well?” She hadn’t even asked yet, too busy thinking about Maggie and maybe spending a fun weekend together.

Kara groaned at the mention of Mon-El, her mind suddenly filled with the soothing, delicious way he smelled. The firm silk of his skin and the way he held her hand. How fucking sexy that stubble was on his jaw. Rao, she wanted him. She should have made a move last night and let him fuck her right there on that kitchen count–

“Kara? What’s wrong? Did I do something?” Alex touched Kara’s shoulder causing her to flinch abruptly. Her thoughts were swimming and hot and the prickling under her skin around her neck almost unbearable. She couldn’t get the image of Mon-El kissing her out of her head when it finally dawned on her what was actually happening.

Oh.

Fuck.

“Kara?” Alex prompted.

“Sorry. Sorry. I’m just not myself. I can’t think straight.” Kara let the waves of feverish need slam into her chest before crumpling into a heap on the table, her head resting her arms.

“What’s wrong?” Alex pressed.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Kara mumbled at her sister, though her face was hidden by her forearms that she was leaning into.

“Just tell me. I’m here for you. I’ll try to be understanding...” She asked gently. She was sure it must be about Mon-El, though it could also be some issues with her ‘superpower’, as they sometimes called. Those were about the only two things Alex could think of that would upset her sister on such short notice.

Kara’s jaw was locked so tightly she wasn’t sure she could even form words. She wanted to hit someone. Or… or fuck someone. Ugh. No. No no no.

“You’re my baby sister. Come on, please help me try to understand…”

Kara felt a wash of shame suddenly overtake her, moving from anger to embarrassment in a few seconds. The heat in her neck turned more into a blush, the blood heating her skin. How did she not notice sooner?! What a complete an utter idiot. She’d thought perhaps her more… _personal thoughts_ were just because she wasn’t used to seeing hot guys and she was overreacting to all the nice feelings of being wanted by someone... now it was so obvious she wanted to kick herself for not having realized way sooner. But it had never been this intense before – maybe some headaches and agitation, along with _those_ kinds of thoughts. But nothing on this scale.

“Kara… please tell me what’s wrong?”

She gave in, admitting out loud what she easily suspected was the problem. ‘It’s… it’s just… hormones.” Kara mumbled, barely loud enough for her sister to hear.

“What?”

“Nothing. Nothing, forget I said anything.” Kara groaned, immediately regretting what she had said the moment the words left her mouth.

“Oh my god.”

“Don’t… I don’t… please don’t…” She shouldn't have said anything. She didn't want anyone to know. Ugh dammit.

“Kara… are you… “

“Don’t.”

“Are you _in heat?!_ “ Alex gaped, but was clearly trying to hide a smirk that looked like it might burst into full laughter at any second. Kara just gave a helpless glare at her sister. The unspoken truth was written on her face well enough for Alex to imply the answer without her saying a word.

“Oh dear goodness! AHAHAH! You ARE aren’t you?!” Alex burst out laughing, angering her once again.

“YES ALEX! IT HAPPENS. It's A THING, Okay?! I CAN’T CONTROL IT.” She let loose in a flying rage and then huffed. “I can’t control it. It’s embarrassing and weird and I hate it.”

“Well, that explains the _major_ bitchiness.” Alex backed away a little with her hands raised in mock surrender, still clearly amused. "Has this happened before?”

“Yes,” Kara mumbled helplessly, shifting food around on her plate with her fork. “Sometimes it’s… it's worse than others. Like a… a lot worse. It doesn’t happen a lot. I think it's the lunar cycle or something.”

“Yeah, well I get a 'lunar cycle' too and I don’t go Psycho!” Alex chuckled while making quotation marks and then just broke out into laughter again. “YOU ARE SO WEIRD!” She continued to laugh at Kara’s expense, before calming down enough to apologize. She shook her head, the craziness that was her life with Kara never failing to give more surprises. "Sorry. Sorry. But you really ARE an alien…”

“Shapeshifter!” Kara corrected.

“Sorry. That sucks and I can’t even imagine. Hilarious! But still, I’m sorry. That’s rough…”

“It must be a supermoon tomorrow or something this time. This only happens like once a year. But... unfortunately means king-tides and…”

“A majorly bitchy wolf.”

“Shut up ALEX!”

“Sorry, sorry."

"… I don’t know what to do…” She groaned. "I nearly jumped the first guy that came into the post office today. And it wasn’t even Mon-El!”

“Gods, imagine what you will be like if it was someone you are actually attracted to!”

“EXACTLY,” Kara whined, burying her face into her hands. “And I’m sort of supposed to patch things up with him after offending him last night and make it up to him… like… we are meant to go on another date over the weekend. I mean, I offered, but he hadn’t gotten back to me yet. But there is no way I can see him… not like this.”

“Then just make up an excuse. You’re sick.”

“I don’t get sick.”

“He doesn’t know that! It’s fine. I’ve got your back. Just pull a sicky for a few days. No harm done.” Alex smiled proudly at her very simple and effective solution.

Kara just groaned again. “This sucks.”

 

\--

 


	19. Fever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't get too excited, it's short and ya know... 
> 
> Sorry for being away from writing for a while. I know it's been a long time. I apologize. You'll get the rest of this and some more of Lion eventually. If you're still even reading it by the time I next update lol. 
> 
> Super sorry. Thanks for the messages and encouragement to my inbox via the comments section that remind me some of you still care about updates after all this time and want me to complete, and the ones regarding my health as well. Nice to have your support. 
> 
> Stay sweet, my Karamels. 
> 
> \--

 

 

By morning, Kara was a mess. She cursed out loud as she began to take in just how atrocious she felt. Her brow was covered in sweat, having woken up hot and uncomfortable despite being outside in her favourite hammock, and muscles in her abdomen squeezed and released at odd intervals. The cramping sent tendrils of pain towards her spine, and bits of hair were stuck to the damp patches on the back of her neck. Whatever was going on in her body, the cooler weather was not doing anything to soothe her rising temperature. _Damn hormones._

Kara groaned as a faint buzz between her eyes flickered like annoying neon lights, and she suddenly wished she just hadn’t woken at all. Grumbling, she ignored the insistent stirring between her legs that _apparently_ had awoken without warning and shut her eyes tightly, cursing under her breath the entire time. Despite the fact no one could see her in this ungodly state she still felt somehow _embarrassed_ – feeling like an utter wreck. Quivers of desire fizzled up with unusual fervour but she could barely give that much attention when her temples were throbbing. Her body was definitely not used to this.

Kara grunted and rose to her feet, pulling her red blanket with her that was covered in white fur before tugging it around herself abruptly. She started to mumble more curses as she padded quietly over the grass, making her way up to the house. There was only one cure for this – a shower. A _cold_ shower.

Letting the blanket hover over her body, Kara tried to block the way the scratchy fabric caressed her bare skin. Waking up in the nude was fairly normal to her – half her life she had been shapeshifting – but this morning without some form of clothing to act as armour, her thoughts quickly turned improper. The rough yet soft feeling of fabric against her shoulders and back sent goosebumps over her skin, and occasionally brushed against the backs of her thighs as she walked. She started to imagine tender yet calloused hands roaming over her body, her skin so sensitive that even the lightest brush set her nerves alight. The tingling sensations were pleasant and warm, but somehow not enough. Kara didn’t even realize she’d let out a defeated whine until it hit her ears and she widened her eyes at hearing herself. She needed to get _those_ kinds of thoughts under control. Whatever tightly wound cage held her _baser appetites_ was quickly evaporating into shameful musings, and though she could try to blame biology or ‘cursed' genetics, it didn’t make the unfamiliar cravings any less unnerving. Kara didn’t consider herself a particularly sexual kind of person, not usually, because she had come to accept a long time ago that it just wasn’t important. There was no point giving a second thought to something she couldn't have. She had never dated. Never been with anyone in a close sort of manner at all. And wasn’t really planning on it. Not really. She guessed a part of her was always asleep... dormant and unused, and with time her ‘desires’ just dwindled into disinterest.

Kara entered the house through the back and gazed across the living room, noticing that Alex had already left of her hike with Maggie – the house was quiet and her car no longer sat outside the front window. Rolling her eyes, Kara quickly threw the blanket in the washing machine as she passed it and made a note to do her other laundry too. Wandering naked through the empty cabin, she found herself in the shared bathroom before quickly turning the shower dial to cold.

Stepping immediately under the cold spray, the shock to her system helped eliminate her hazy thoughts, and if anything at least lowered her heart rate. The water began to cool the surface of her skin, but the burning underneath all that seemed to remain untouched, unquenchable embers that burned and burned and burned. She stood under the water for a long time, practising her breathing and trying to indulge in scents of jasmine and wild orange. Lathering her hair at an unhurried pace, Kara closed her eyes to the aromas of sweet and citrus. They helped soothe her, but barely. She’d much rather the scent of wood stain and cinnamon, notes of dark coffee and hot tastes of mulled wine that came with smooth, languid brushes of Mon-El’s tongue… _–NO. Not now!_

Ugh. There was nothing much Kara could do except _attempt_ to block out her thoughts of Mon-El, making out with her against that darn counter – _yeah, fat luck of that._ It seemed whenever she’d finally stopped thinking of it, the image just popped straight up into the front of her mind, vibrant and demanding. Kara opened her eyes and tried to focus on something else, squeezing the last bit of facial scrub from the tube into her hand and then working it in small circles over her face, closing her eyes again to rub her skin and free her pores any lingering sweat and dirt.

_Breathe,_ she told herself.

_In…_

_Out..._

–OH GOD, NOT THAT!

Fuck. How the hell was she going to survive this? Kara groaned again and let her head fall back against the wall of the shower, muttering her displeasure towards the ceiling at whichever deity was responsible for her current state. Her life was a hot mess.

 

*

 

At least her appetite for food had come back. Kara had taken to devouring whatever she could find in the house, and sometime between all the cheese and crackers, leftover bbq chicken, fruit, and muesli bars, she had ended up on the couch covered in crumbs and remote in hand. Nothing could really hold her attention it seemed, with every channel more boring than the next, and the flashing buzz of the screen making her eyes hurt after barely ten minutes. Was this meant to be a punishment? Some form of yearly atonement for whatever sins she’d managed to commit? Whatever, at least her weekends didn’t require her to actually do anything of importance, no job to worry about, and other than maybe clean the house, she could just take another nap. Perhaps she could sleep whatever hell this was off and wake up normal.

Laying her head down on the couch, Kara's thoughts drifted to her phone – that annoying need to check notifications nagging at her until she got up to look for it. She just needed to browse for a while and then she would be comfortable falling asleep. Finding it resting alone on the counter, Kara swiped away the usual boring notifications first: weather, low battery, low storage space... before getting to her text messages.

**(2) Alex**

**(1) Mon-El.**

_Great._

Opening the ones from her sister first, Kara wasn’t too surprised to find a short yet responsible note from Alex, saying where she was planning to go and what time she would be expected back.

Alex  
**[10.12AM]**

_> Hey K-bear. Me and Mags decided to take one of the more advanced L. Trails today. The one that goes to the Eleonora lookout, you know the one? There’s a bit of rock climbing and stuff but nothing too dangerous or anything. I figured you could use the space today. Plus, I can avoid having psycho little sis throwing things at me ;) haha. Call if you need me though and I’ll come home… service is surprisingly fine up here. How are you holding up?_

 

Kara  
**[11.02am]**

_> Hey Sis. Sounds cool – you picked a nice day for it. Send a snap when you get to the lookout x. I’m feeling pretty crap, but whatever. Don’t worry about me you just have fun with your ‘friend’._

Kara waited a few minutes for a reply, but when one wasn’t as immediate as usual, she guessed that Alex was probably far too occupied to be worrying about her phone. Her sister would check in when she took a break from whatever activities were currently holding her attention.

Holding her breath, Kara exited from the thread and opened the other… the one from Mon-El.

 

Mon-El  
**[8:45am]**

_> Hey Kara. Sorry that you’re were feeling pretty crap last night. Just checking in… How are you feeling now? Any improvement?_

Ugh. Kara almost laughed at his optimism, having not felt this terrible in so long. The answer to that was a definite no. But she did feel instantly better that she had someone to talk to, something to distract her even if it did come with stupid mental images of his nice face and soft lips. Whatever.

 

Kara  
**[11.05am]**  
_> Hi Mon, I’m even worse than last night, unfortunately. Pretty sure I’m just gonna sleep it off. But thanks for giving me a call last night and putting up with me. Sorry that we couldn’t hang out._

  
Kara had at least been able to text Mon-El the previous night, explaining that she had come down with a fever and wouldn’t be able to hang out over the weekend. Somehow they’d ended up on the phone and semi-made up for whatever awkwardness/mini-fight/confusion that had happened between them, and to Kara's surprise it had sounded like Mon-El was no longer offended by her strange behaviours. He was being kind and thoughtful as he offered various solutions to cheer her up, though somehow she’d ended up crying down the phone at her disappointment that she’d screwed up and couldn’t make it up to him over the weekend now that she was ’sick’ (As if her situation wasn’t embarrassing enough. Crying? DAMN HORMONES.)

Maybe Mon-El was just being nice shut her up and stop the waterworks, but he sounded genuine enough – from bringing her homemade soup, suggestions for various comedy shows he liked, or even taking her out of town to see a doctor if she needed to, Mon-El was trying hard to be helpful – though she had to decline any suggestions that would involve seeing him. It was difficult pushing out the words that she couldn’t see him until she was ‘better’, warning him that she might be contagious. She was beginning to regret passing up all his offers now, barring him from seeing her. Would she even be able to survive the next few days like this? She supposed she could call him? Just to hear his voice?

But maybe that wouldn’t be a good idea. Kara imagined herself trying not to groan into the phone at the sound of Mon-El’s smooth baritone voice and immediately made a mental note to completely barricade herself from him for the weekend. No way was she going to accidentally let it slip that she wanted him so badly. That would possibly be disastrous and far too difficult to explain when her hormones settled back down. _No Mon-El. Just for the weekend,_ she thought.

 

Mon-El  
**[11:06am]**  
_> Guts! Sorry to hear that. No worries about this weekend, we’ve still got plenty of time to see some more of Linden Valley when you’re next up for it. Sorry, I ate your strawberries :P_

Well… texting couldn’t hurt. She had nothing better to do...

Kara  
**[11.07am]**  
_You suck!! Guess that makes us kinda even now though… You up to much today? What have you got planned?_

Kara settled down with her phone in hand, at least having something to fill her time and ease the horrid feelings running rampant and currently holding her hostage. Seeing her phone blink with another message, she grinned. 

 

  
***


End file.
